Devil Comet arrives to unravel its might in night sky

 

This is an important night for skygazers because the much-awaited Devil Comet — also known as 12P/Pons-Brooks — will be reaching its peak of brightness Sunday.

The Devil comet — 10.5-mile-wide — comes to visit our inner side of the solar system in 71 years as it travels in its epileptic orbit. It will be closest to the Sun — also called perihelion — on April 21.

The closest arrival of the comet with the sun would be about 72.6 million miles (116.8 million km).

It may be seen with the naked eye as it has intermittently shown its outbursts in the night sky since it erupted last year and became noticeable last month.

The bursts — that turn the shape of light like the horn of the devil — are caused when the dust and ice are heated and burned due to the sun’s temperature.

Nasa website notes that comets are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ice and range from a few miles to tens of miles wide.

After coming close to the sun, comets start releasing gases and dust creating a bright head that can be much bigger than a planet.

Nasa estimated billions of comets that are likely orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud.

The Nasa website states that there are around 3,910 known comets in our solar system.

The comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was identified by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1892.

After Devil Comet’s perihelion, it will make its pass to Earth on June 2, but then it will be only visible to the dwellers of the Southern Hemisphere.

Those in the mid- to southern latitudes of North America can look toward the Taurus constellation after sunset, below the constellation, with the prominent 'V' shape pointing down towards it, according to Space.com.

The Devil comet will appear left of Jupiter.