Stunning new images have been released of a ‘devil comet’ that is the size of Manhattan.
The new pictures show the giant ice ball has been hiding a spiraling swirl of red, green and blue gas around its icy core.
The spirals, which look like a yin-yang symbol, are caused by the comet ejecting streams of cryomagma while it spins and because it makes a full rotation within two weeks, the jets of ice are twisted into the swirls seen in the images.
Stargazers are see the comet with the naked eye by the end of March and during April 8’s solar eclipse – across the 115-mile strip from Maine down to Texas – if they’re in regions away from city lights and have a clear view of the night sky.
Astrophotographer Jan Erik Vallestad captured images of the swirling devil comet
The devil comet, called P12/Pons-Brooks appeared in July 2023 for the first time in 71 years
Astrophotographer Jan Erik Vallestad captured the close-up images using specialized software to zoom in on the comet’s coma – a scientific term for a cloud of icy dust.
The comet, known as the ‘devil comet,’ got its name last year when a photo captured it with a horseshoe shape at its crest, which resembled horns.
But Vallestad’s recent images, taken from Norway, provide a much more detailed picture of Pons-Brooks as it travels closer to the sun.
He explained that most astronomers are focusing on the comet’s tail, which grows longer with each passing night, but Vallestad decided to hone in on the comet’s core.
‘I focused solely on the core here, disregarding almost everything else,’ said Vallestad, adding that many astronomers believe the comet’s outbursts are a sign of cryovolcanic activity, ‘so this might be further evidence toward just that.’
Stargazers might be able to see the Pons-Brooks comet with the naked eye during April 8’s solar eclipse
The devil comet got its name last year when a photo captured it with a horseshoe shape at its crest, resembling horns.
The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks, is 10.5 miles wide and experiences periodic volcanic-like ‘flare-ups’ that make it shine 100 times brighter than usual as it gets closer to the sun.
Pons-Brooks can only be seen with a telescope, binoculars or through a long-exposure photograph toward the Pisces constellation in the early evening.
Cryovolcanic activity occurs when a comet experiences volcano-like eruptions of ice and gas.
The comet’s solar radiation causes fissures in its nucleus – which is made up of rock, dust and frozen gas – to crack open and spray water, ammonia and methane, called cryomagma, from its core into space.
The comet will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere until May and the Southern Hemisphere into June
The next time the Pons-Brooks comet will appear is in 2095
Latvia-based astrophotographer Juris Sennikovs mimicked Vallestad’s technique to locate the spiral as well.
‘After seeing [the] image from Jan Erik Vallestad, I processed my image of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in a similar way,’ Seņņikovs told Spaceweather.
‘Much to my surprise, I also got a spiral around the comet’s core. Without processing one can easily miss this structure,’ he added.
To see Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, look toward the Great Square of Pegasus and in the next few weeks, the comet will move toward the Aries constellation
Those wishing to view the comet now can do so by looking to the westward area of the night sky toward the Square of Pegasus.
In the coming weeks, it will shift toward the Aries constellation and if it flares up, it will become so bright that it can become viewable without a telescope.
The devil comet’s flare-ups in brightness are ‘probably caused by the ices feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time, turning to the gas phase and escaping the nucleus, dragging other dust or ice with it,’ Lori Feaga, a professor who studies comets at the University of Maryland, told The Washington Post.
Pons-Brooks was first discovered by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812 and again in 1883 by William Brooks, giving it its name, although astronomers say there is evidence that the comet was spotted as early as the year 1385.
It was last seen 71 years ago when it traveled close to the sun and it will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere until early May when it starts to fade but will remain visible in the Southern Hemisphere into June.
Pons-Brooks’ most recent flare-ups occurred in July 2023 and on October 15, November 1 and 14, December 14 and January 18, and the next time the comet will be seen is in 2095.
‘It is interesting to study during this [visit] because we only get a chance every 70 years … and the technology and telescopes have greatly improved since its last appearance,’ Feaga told The Post.
She added: ‘On this [visit] we should be able to get a better handle on the comet’s chemical make-up.’
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
