Comet Ponsa-Brooks will fly above the Earth. The inhabitants of our planet can watch this cosmic phenomenon once every 70 years.
Comet Ponsa-Brooks – a periodic comet from the Halley family that regularly orbits the Sun. The last time the inhabitants of the Earth could see the celestial body was in 1954, then its appearance was a “real sensation”, reports the news agency “Инфониак”.
The diameter of Ponce-Brooks reaches 17 kilometers. For comparison, the diameter of the asteroid that, according to scientists, destroyed the dinosaurs on Earth, was about 10 kilometers. The peculiarity of Ponce-Brooks is that the icy surface of the comet periodically erupts in the form of huge jets that resemble the horns of the devil. Because of this, experts call the celestial body the “devil’s” comet.
Scientists say that this comet will be visible during the solar eclipse, which is expected on April 8, 2024. At the same time, the maximum approach to the Earth, according to astronomers’ calculations, will be at the end of April – the beginning of June. Specialists have warned that Ponsa-Brooks does not pose any danger to earthlings.
Comet Ponsa-Brooks was discovered in the Marseille Observatory in July 1812 by the French astronomer Jean-Louis Ponsa. In 1883, it was “rediscovered” by the American space explorer William Brooks, who accidentally discovered the comet in the sky.
Ponsa-Brooks regularly makes revolutions around the Sun, “visiting” the inner part of the solar system. The next time, the celestial body will be so close to the Earth only in 2095.
