Earthlings, beware! A comet that is about 12 times the size of Mount Everest is falling fast from the sky. And it is fast heading for the Earth.
Astronomers at the University of Pennsylvania who had discovered this phenomenon first, have listed down all they know about the megacomet that is hurtling down. The megacomet, known by the name of Bernardinelli-Bernstein, will pass by the Earth in 2031
The megacomet has been under study for seven years now. Further, it is believed that deeper investigations into the Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet would throw more light on the solar system.
Significant about the megacomet is that its chemistry has seldom changed ever since it took its form. Scientists believe that the comet would indeed throw open a window into the past.
A Time Machine
Calling it a time machine, Amy Mainzer, a University of Arizona scientist, has hinted that the comet would bring back much-sought-after information from the past.
A NewsBreak article said that the megacomet has been traveling Earthward from the space rock crashes that formed our planet and most of the rest of the solar system many years ago. It is expected that the comet would elaborate all about what existed in the solar system billions of years ago.
Such valuable information would help scientists to decipher and learn things we see today elsewhere in the solar system; it has been reported.
The fascinating fact about the Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet is that it has retained its form ever since birth. Compared to this exciting phenomenon, all other comets that have been subjects of study to scientists have transformed themselves as they hurtled through the sun’s heat. Some even broke into pieces over some time.
Studies have revealed that the megacomet had spent most of its time in the frigid climes of the outer solar system. And that had made it frozen in time.
2031 Date Gives Ample Time for More Studies
The enormous size of the comet has also helped it stay the same, as it gave the necessary gravitational thrust to remain as one piece even as it hurtled through space. This aspect has also led scientists to believe that the Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet displays the chemical state of the original nebula that gave shape to the solar system.
With the 2031 date a bit far off, scientists would get ample time to study more. They will be looking to know more about how the sun’s heat would affect the comet and the presence of chemicals like Nitrogen, which is abundant on Pluto.
