In parts of India, Chinese rockets are re-entering the atmosphere. A comet will light up the sky over the next month as meteors break apart. C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS) is approaching the innermost planets of the solar system and will cross the skies above Earth in May this year.
Discovered in July 2021, the comet is currently traveling behind the sun as seen from Earth, emanating from the Oort Cloud, the farthest region of our solar system. The Oort Cloud is thought to be a huge spherical shell that surrounds the solar system. It is a huge, thick-walled bubble formed from ice-space debris the size of mountains, and sometimes much larger.
Frozen gases, rocks and dust Cosmic snowballs Comets orbiting the sun are remnants of the formation of the solar system.
ALSO SEE: NASA satellites discover first-ever reduced human CO2 emissions
According to NASA, they can be a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit the sun, they raise its temperature and expel gases and dust into a brilliant cup that can be the size of a planet. This debris produces tens of millions of miles of tails. Comet C/2021 O3’s orbit is predicted by astronomers who believe it will melt as it approaches the sun. It only gets exciting when it survives.
On April 21, the comet is predicted to pass within 0.29 astronomical units (AU) of our star (1 AU = 1 typical Earth-Sun distance unit).
According to reports, the comet will pass closest to Earth on May 8, at a distance of 0.60 AU or 82 million kilometers. Astronomers used the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or “Pan-STARS” telescope to discover the comet for the first time.
ALSO SEE: Scientists have discovered Jupiter twins 17,000 light-years away
The comet was 30 million miles from the sun when it was discovered, taking it beyond Jupiter’s orbit. It was 400,000 times dimmer than the brightest star visible to the naked eye. This is the first time this comet has visited the solar system and has traveled millions of years to visit the inner planets. However, if it escapes the Sun’s gravity, it will never return and will float in the Milky Way.
Although it would not be visible to the naked eye when it comes close to our planet, it can be observed with binoculars. The brightness of C/2021 O3 may increase or decrease depending on contact with the sun later this month. That is why comets are so deceptive in their appearance because of the possible occurrence of their brightness.
Cover Image: Unsplash