The comet bernardinelli-Bernstein is so huge that astronomers initially considered it a planet. It is currently located between the orbits of Neptune and Uranus and is slowly heading towards the center of the solar system. Within ten years, it will reach the point where it will be closest to our planet.
The strange body was noticed by astronomers back in 2014, but it took them several years to recognize a comet in it. They were confused, first of all, by its size. While ordinary comets measure something between 750 meters and 20 kilometers in diameter, the width of the Bernardinelli-Bernstein object is a respectable 150 km.
Research was also hampered by the weak radiation that the comet emits. Nevertheless, scientists have already managed to partially examine its tail and find that carbon dioxide and ammonia evaporate from its surface.
For the first time in the history of mankind
The comet in question is a very rare guest in the solar system. Its orbit is so long that it passes the sun only once every 3.5 million years. In other words, the human race has not yet had a chance to see it. The place of its birth is probably the Oort Cloud, a hypothetical remnant of the planetary nebula from which our system once formed.
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The Oort Cloud is theoretically located beyond the Kuiper belt at the very edge of the solar system. Although its existence has not been confirmed by clear evidence, most scientists assume it. Studying comets from this cloud can help us understand how planets orbiting the sun formed and what their original composition was.
Further from the Earth further…
The bernardinelli-Bernstein comet is a great object of research because of its giant dimensions. Scientists plan to point to it the world’s largest telescopes in 2031, when it will be the closest to earth. However, we will not see it with the naked eye, since it will probably not cross the orbit of Saturn.
The movement of a massive comet can be viewed in the video:
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Source: Youtube
On the other hand, we can be happy that its trajectory will safely avoid the earth’s orbit. A collision with a comet the size of a planet would be a far worse disaster than the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. So we certainly will not regret that we see an extraordinary space object only in photographs.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/, http://www.sci-news.com/, https://www.space.com/
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