Florida: A comet larger than Mars’s moons is speeding up toward the solar system.
Now, scientists from the International Dark Energy Survey Project have determined that the new “megacomet”, named Comet C/2014 UN271, has a diameter of a whopping 160 km. Its mass is more than ten times the mass of the Hale-Bopp, and it’s currently heading towards our solar system.
Also known as the Bernardinelli-Bernstein Comet, named in honour of the astronomers who found it, the celestial giant is estimated to be around seven times larger than Phobos—Mars’ satellite. Astronomers believe that this mysterious object will pass through our planetary system at its closest approach a decade from now, in the year 2031.
NASA is currently monitoring the comet. Recently, Las Cumbres Observatory reported that the comet is getting brighter and brighter. This is happening as it gradually comes towards us through space.
As per calculations from Bad Astrnomy, the comet goes from being about 1.6 billion km away from the Sun to a mind-boggling 2 trillion kilometres away from the Sun.
The comet is expected to make closest approach to the Sun in the year 2031 and it will be comfortably away from Earth when it passes through the solar system.
