In a few weeks, a big comet called Twelve Pons-Brooks will be close to Earth. This is a rare event that is going to happen for the first time in almost 100 years. The comet is huge and it is as big as Mount Everest, and some people call it the ‘Devil Comet’.
Today is April 8 and there is a solar eclipse that is huge following around the world for that event. Now, people are talking about the Twelve Pons-Brooks comet which will soon be visible on our eyes. It will get very close to the Sun on April 21 when it will be about 74 million miles away.
Then, in the next two Junes, it will come close to Earth about 14 million miles away from us. This comet orbits the Sun at specific times. This is possible because it moves around in our solar system. You might remember Halley’s Comet which comes around every 70 years.
A scientist named William Robert Brooks discovered this comet in 1812, so it’s named after him. Scientists are watching the comet’s movements to learn more. The Twelve Pons-Brooks comet takes about 57 hours to make one full rotation which is longer than expected. As it gets closer to the Sun, it will look brighter.
Another theing is that Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society in the UK says the comet won’t be as bright as it looks in pictures. You might be able to see the Twelve Pons-Brooks comet if the moon is in the sky. It’s also visible if there’s not too much light pollution and the sky is clear.
