{"id":270752,"date":"2023-08-01T13:11:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T11:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=270752"},"modified":"2023-08-01T13:11:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T11:11:49","slug":"a-comet-shaped-like-the-millennium-falcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=270752","title":{"rendered":"A Comet Shaped Like the Millennium\u00a0Falcon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Spaceweather.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By DR.TONY PHILLIPS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 25, 2023:<\/strong>\u00a0(Spaceweather.com<\/a>) Until a few days ago, Comet 12P\/Pons-Brooks looked like a perfectly ordinary comet. Then, something on its surface exploded. Now it resembles \u201cthe fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy\u201d\u2013the\u00a0Millennium Falcon<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These images are hot off the press (July 25.434) from the\u00a0Comet Chasers<\/a>, a team of researchers led by Helen Usher of Cardiff\/The Open Universities. They are using telescopes at the Las Cumbres Observatory network to monitor this comet\u2019s unusual eruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The action began on July 20th when the comet\u00a0abruptly brightnened<\/a>\u00a0100-fold. Astronomers watched as double plumes of debris streamed out of the comet\u2019s core, sweeping back to form the Falcon shape. It is now shining with about the same brightness as an 11th magnitude star, making it an easy target for mid-sized backyard telescopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comet 12P\/Pons-Brooks is famous for exploding. Discovered in 1812 by\u00a0Pons<\/a>\u00a0and discovered again in 1883 by\u00a0Brooks<\/a>, the bursty comet visits the inner solar system every 71 years. Since the 19th century at least seven significant outbursts have been observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Astronomical Station Vidojevica in Serbia, astronomers Igor Smoli\u0107 and Marco Grazdanovic took a closer look using the station\u2019s big 1.4 meter telescope:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a 60x30s exposure,\u201d says Smoli\u0107. \u201c[It reveals the origin of the \u2018horns\u2019 curving out of the comet\u2019s compact core].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association thinks 12P may be one of 10 to 20 known comets with\u00a0active ice volcanoes<\/a>. The \u201cmagma\u201d is a cold mixture of liquid hydrocarbons and dissolved gasses, all trapped beneath a surface which has the consistency of wax. These bottled-up volatiles\u00a0love to explode<\/a>\u00a0when sunlight opens a fissure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best may be yet to come. The comet is currently beyond the orbit of Mars, but falling toward the sun for a close encounter in April 2024. At that time it is expected to become a naked-eye object at 4th or 5th magnitude.The timing is significant because 12P will reach maximum brightness only a few days before the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Sky watchers in the path of totality could look up and see an outburst for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor developments. Comet 12P is currently\u00a0crossing the head of Draco<\/a>\u00a0not far from the north celestial pole. Check out those horns! And\u00a0submit your photos here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

more images:<\/strong>\u00a0from Thomas Wildoner<\/a>\u00a0of Weatherly, PA;\u00a0from David Strange<\/a>\u00a0of Salcombe Regis, East Devon, UK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Spaceweather.com) Until a few days ago, Comet 12P\/Pons-Brooks looked like a perfectly ordinary comet. Then, something on its surface exploded. Now it resembles \u201cthe fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy\u201d\u2013the\u00a0Millennium Falcon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":270755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691821508,691821510,691821509],"class_list":{"0":"post-270752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-comet","9":"tag-every-71-years","10":"tag-helen-usher-of-cardiff-the-open-universities","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-9.png?fit=730%2C857&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-18qY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":317605,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=317605","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":0},"title":"This Comet Did Not Survive the\u00a0Eclipse","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/14\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Astronomer Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab predicted that a sungrazing comet might be visible during Monday\u2019s total eclipse. He was right. Chinese amateur astronomer Lin Zixuan was in New Hampshire for the eclipse, and he photographed the disintegrating comet:","rel":"","context":"In \"Astronomer Karl Battams\"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomer Karl Battams","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=astronomer-karl-battams"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-14-085847.png?fit=1183%2C753&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-14-085847.png?fit=1183%2C753&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-14-085847.png?fit=1183%2C753&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-14-085847.png?fit=1183%2C753&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-14-085847.png?fit=1183%2C753&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":231268,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=231268","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":1},"title":"Major Cryovolcanic Eruption on a Comet","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/27\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The integrated brightness of the comet (magnitude +11) puts it within easy reach of many backyard telescopes.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/0029P_20221125_20d_rot-768x638-1.png?fit=768%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/0029P_20221125_20d_rot-768x638-1.png?fit=768%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/0029P_20221125_20d_rot-768x638-1.png?fit=768%2C638&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/0029P_20221125_20d_rot-768x638-1.png?fit=768%2C638&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":274692,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=274692","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":2},"title":"Hyperbolic Comet Nishimura","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/20\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A hyperbolic comet is falling into our solar system. Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered it just a few days ago in the constellation Gemini. Although it is relatively dim right now (magnitude +9), Comet Nishimura (C\/2023 P1) could soon brighten more than 100-fold to become a naked-eye object in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Comet Nishimura\"","block_context":{"text":"Comet Nishimura","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=comet-nishimura"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-822.png?fit=1024%2C694&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-822.png?fit=1024%2C694&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-822.png?fit=1024%2C694&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-822.png?fit=1024%2C694&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":253124,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=253124","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":3},"title":"It\u2019s Back: The Sodium Tail of Mercury","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/16\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cMercury is NOT a comet, but it sure looks like one,\u201d says Voltmer. \u201cSolar wind and micro-meteorites hitting the planet eject sodium atoms from Mercury\u2019s surface. This creates a yellow-orange tail of sodium gas that is around 24 million kilometers long.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Astronomy\"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=astronomy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0Dr.-Sebastian-Voltmer-MercuryTail_2023-04-12_SVoltmer_1681353367.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0Dr.-Sebastian-Voltmer-MercuryTail_2023-04-12_SVoltmer_1681353367.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0Dr.-Sebastian-Voltmer-MercuryTail_2023-04-12_SVoltmer_1681353367.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0Dr.-Sebastian-Voltmer-MercuryTail_2023-04-12_SVoltmer_1681353367.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":394960,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=394960","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":4},"title":"Study: Ocean sediments support theory that comet impact triggered Younger Dryas cool-off","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/13\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Northern Hemisphere cooling 12,800 years ago generally thought to be caused by glacial meltwater; new geochemical evidence might support comet impact.","rel":"","context":"In \"Baffin Bay\"","block_context":{"text":"Baffin Bay","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=baffin-bay"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNhJ51GN-AG3Z1bq87iRj4A_X0S0emYO-MbQCstwJaSL80pbf97oq12_2WGs3IQ2wM7qvLSB0mMelxIdK5rij2lLOqF9mvdkXs3n3aYrI8akBZ8VQrsz9MgdqlYlrfdb79jklTl9wpDdZNofh29uhp9lG1UFg-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNhJ51GN-AG3Z1bq87iRj4A_X0S0emYO-MbQCstwJaSL80pbf97oq12_2WGs3IQ2wM7qvLSB0mMelxIdK5rij2lLOqF9mvdkXs3n3aYrI8akBZ8VQrsz9MgdqlYlrfdb79jklTl9wpDdZNofh29uhp9lG1UFg-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNhJ51GN-AG3Z1bq87iRj4A_X0S0emYO-MbQCstwJaSL80pbf97oq12_2WGs3IQ2wM7qvLSB0mMelxIdK5rij2lLOqF9mvdkXs3n3aYrI8akBZ8VQrsz9MgdqlYlrfdb79jklTl9wpDdZNofh29uhp9lG1UFg-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNhJ51GN-AG3Z1bq87iRj4A_X0S0emYO-MbQCstwJaSL80pbf97oq12_2WGs3IQ2wM7qvLSB0mMelxIdK5rij2lLOqF9mvdkXs3n3aYrI8akBZ8VQrsz9MgdqlYlrfdb79jklTl9wpDdZNofh29uhp9lG1UFg-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNhJ51GN-AG3Z1bq87iRj4A_X0S0emYO-MbQCstwJaSL80pbf97oq12_2WGs3IQ2wM7qvLSB0mMelxIdK5rij2lLOqF9mvdkXs3n3aYrI8akBZ8VQrsz9MgdqlYlrfdb79jklTl9wpDdZNofh29uhp9lG1UFg-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":291260,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=291260","url_meta":{"origin":270752,"position":5},"title":"The Geminids are Still a\u00a0Mystery","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/14\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A paper published in the\u00a0Planetary Science Journal\u00a0reports a surprising new twist in the mystery of the Geminids, a strong annual meteor shower that has puzzled astronomers for more than a century.","rel":"","context":"In \"3200 Phaethon\"","block_context":{"text":"3200 Phaethon","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=3200-phaethon"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0nomoon2_crop.webp?fit=1024%2C969&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0nomoon2_crop.webp?fit=1024%2C969&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0nomoon2_crop.webp?fit=1024%2C969&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0nomoon2_crop.webp?fit=1024%2C969&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=270752"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270760,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270752\/revisions\/270760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/270755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=270752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=270752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=270752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}