City-sized comet regrows horns following volcanic eruptions on surface

A comet the size of a city has regained its appearance of having a pair of horns following a volcanic eruption that occurred on the comet’s surface.

The comet, 12P/Pons-Brooks, experienced its explosion on Oct. 5, when astronomers noticed that the comet became much brighter, which was caused by extra light that reflected from the comet’s coma. Over the course of several days, the comet then saw its coma expand, developing the appearance of horns, according to Live Science.

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The comet’s horns were formed through ice and gas that the comet emitted, with the comet itself being a cryovolcanic, also known as a cold volcano comet. Solar radiation then builds up pressure inside the comet, causing it to explode.

This marks the second time this year that 12P/Pons-Brooks gave off the appearance of having horns, with astronomers noticing an explosion on the comet on July 20, the first time astronomers noticed 12P/Pons-Brooks erupt in 69 years. It is possible that future explosions will also happen in the future, potentially being bigger than its previous ones.

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The comet is making its way toward the sun, though it is expected to be visible on April 21, 2024, when it’s at its closest proximity to Earth. 12P/Pons-Brooks will then be catapulted back toward the outer solar system and will not return until 2095.

12P/Pons-Brooks is not the only comet that astronomers have noticed experience cryomagma explosions over the past year, with 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann exhibiting similar behaviors. Like the aforementioned comet, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann had an explosion in December 2022, with another one happening in April, the latter being the first time scientists accurately predicted one of 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann’s eruptions before it actually happened.