SAN FRANCISCO, iNews.id – Earlier this year, astronomers discovered comet largest ever, almost 100 miles wide. Now, further research is revealing this giant rock headed for the Sun.
But don’t worry. Comets will not pose any threat to humans on Earth. Because, it will not be closer than Saturn’s orbit, as quoted from Digital Trends.
The comet, named Bernardinelli-Bernstein, is estimated to be about 95 miles in diameter and was identified using data from the Dark Energy Survey. Since its discovery, researchers have pored over the data to learn more about it and soon published a paper about it in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The comet has a very elongated orbit and is currently heading from the Oort cloud, a group of icy bodies hypothesized to lie far beyond Pluto’s orbit.
According to the new paper, the comet will reach its perihelion, or point at which it is closest to the Sun, in 2031. The comet will come within 11 AU of the Sun, which puts it outside the orbit of Saturn.
Editor: Dini Listiyani
