Scientists have not seen anything like this for 69 years: A horned comet is flying towards Earth (photo)

Scientists have discovered an unusual phenomenon in Comet 12P that caused the appearance of "horns" after a volcanic eruption. This spectacular phenomenon occurred for the first time in the last 69 years.

Comet 12P, which is approaching the Earth, is about 30 km in size and consists of an ice core, dust, and gas. During the flight, it threw out currents of cold "magma" into space, which resembled large "horns," Space writes.

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This extraordinary phenomenon was recorded by several astronomers on July 20. The flash from the comet was about 100 times brighter than usual. The reason for this was the expansion of the comet's coma due to gas and ice, which began to reflect more sunlight, allowing scientists to see it.

Just six days after the outbreak, the comet's coma grew to about 230,000 km in diameter on July 26, or 7,000 times larger than the comet's nucleus.

Richard Miles, an astronomer from the British Astronomical Association, explained that the extraordinary shape of Comet 12P's coma may be due to the irregular shape of its nucleus. However, the expanded coma will disappear when the gas and ice dissipate and will no longer be able to reflect sunlight in the future.

The phenomenon which occurred with Comet 12P is rare and has no such observations in the last 69 years. According to astronomers, Comet 12P will approach the closest point to the Sun on April 21, 2024, and the Earth on June 2 of the same year.

As a reminder, scientists have answered which asteroids can destroy the Earth and when it can happen.

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