The ‘Devil Comet’ has made a long-awaited return to the Australian skies after 71 years, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a unique green celestial body.
The comet, whose real name is 12P/Pons-Brooks, has given a nickname of Devil Comet because eruption from its nucleus can make it look loke it has two horns, The Guardian reported.
The nucleus of the comet has a 34 km diameter, and it passes by Earth about every 71 years.
Rebecca Allen, co-director of Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University of Technology, explained, “It’s green because of its diatomic carbon, a very rare form of carbon that’s unstable, so you only get it in very specific environments that don’t have oxygen, such as being on a comet.”
Recently, Star Wars fans have named it the ‘Millennium Falcon.’
Brand Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University said that although devil comet is visible but it is tough to spot it now, however, it will become clearer and visible after a week.
Moreover, the comet will be at its brightest on April 22, just above the horizon, but the astrophysicist said that it will be ‘a cat and mouse game’ to find it because it will be competing with the full moon at that time.
Tucker suggested, “Probably the best day would be from around Anzac Day. That’s past the full moon, but (the comet’s) still bright, and it’s a bit higher … so the 25th, then into next weekend.”
