Highlights
- According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), the massive 18-kilometre-wide killer comet K2 has crossed Mars and is currently heading toward Earth.
- A spectacular photograph of a distant comet has been released by two NASA researchers, Jerry Bonnell AND Robert Nemiroff.
- On June 20, 2022, Jose J. Chambo, an amateur astronomer, captured a shot of the space object known as C/2017 K2.
Before moving forward to Comet K2, we will tell you what Comet and Comet Tails are:
Comet, according to NASA?
Comets are tiny, town-sized cosmic snowballs made of frozen gases, rock, and dust. A comet heats up and ejects dust and gases into a massive blazing head more significant than most planets when its orbit puts it near the Sun. A tail made of gas and dust extends millions of kilometres away from the Sun. Comets may not be able to support life on their own, but through collisions with Earth and other worlds in our solar system, they may have transported water and organic compounds, the building blocks of life.
What is Comet Tail?
When comets are exposed to the Sun, they generate valuable characteristics as comet tails and comas. These features may be seen from Earth when a comet travels through the inner Solar System. Solar radiation causes the Comet’s volatile components to evaporate and stream out of the nucleus as it moves into the inner Solar System, dragging dust with it. Dust and gases produce separate tails that are visible due to several processes. Dust directly reflects sunlight, whereas gases glow as a result of ionisation. The majority of comets are too dim to be seen without a telescope, but a small number every decade grow brilliant enough to be seen with the unaided eye.
NASA researchers Jerry Bonnell and Robert Nemiroff posted a stunning photograph of a comet on Thursday as their “image of the day.”
Amateur astronomer Jose J. Chambo shot the C/2017 K2 space object on June 20, 2022.
The Comet is visible in the wide-field telescopic image near the star Beta Ophiuchi and the open star cluster IC 4665.
The Comet’s wide coma and growing tail are also plainly seen.
Astronomers discovered this comet for the first time in May of 2017, which was more than five years ago.
C/2017 K2 has now emerged from the distant Oort cloud and is heading into the inner Solar System.
As part of its ongoing investigation of the item, NASA published details on the comet and the day when it will be closest to the Earth. According to observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope, the comet had a large nucleus with a diameter of less than 18 kilometers. With the exception of the Sun in December, C/2017 K2 will be closest to Earth on July 14 and is presently visible in small telescopes. We can discern its protracted coma and expanding tail here at about 16 light minutes, or about 290 million kilometers.
Currently, it is anticipated that the Comet will make a safe pass, but experts are monitoring the route for any alterations. On July 14, astronomy fans may view this comet pass Earth. Although it won’t be visible to the unaided eye, amateur telescopes will have no trouble seeing it.