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Astronomers have revealed that a comet three times bigger than Mount Everest, which is referred to as a "Devil comet," complete with horns, is approaching Earth. Named 12P/Pons-Brooks, the massive space rock might be visible to the naked eye.
Recently, between October 5 and October 7, Pons-Brooks, or the "Devil Comet," erupted, providing astronomers with additional footage that showed two horns emerging from the comet, as per the New York Post.
This news was shared by X user @ConceptualJames, and netizens took to the comments section of the same to react to the new development.
"Waiting for the apocalypse is getting old" - Social media users react as the news about Devil Comet with horns goes viral
According to news outlets, including the Sun and the NY Post, scientists have stated that a "horned" comet, addressed as the "Devil Comet," which is three times larger than Mount Everest, has burst and is now rapidly approaching Earth. It is important to note that Mount Everest is 29,029 feet high.
The NY Post reported that the British Astronomical Association, which has kept an eye on the Devil Comet, learned about this explosion when they noticed that the light reflected by the comet made it appear dozens of times brighter.
In addition, the comet seemed to have developed "horns" as a result of the blast. This is why it has been nicknamed the "Devil Comet." Although it doesn't actually have horns, the telescopic photographs from different astronomical associations, like The School of Plant Sciences of the University of Arizona, create the impression that it does.
Space Weather reported that all comets, including 12P, have a solid nucleus made of a mixture of gas, dust, and ice. The significant ice and gas combination inside 12P's nucleus is what sets it apart from the majority of other comets. Explosions caused by this accumulation may cause its icy contents to be expelled via sizable fissures in the shell of the nucleus.
As per the Sun, located in the Hercules constellation, the comet is probably now visible from Earth's east-northeast direction roughly 36 degrees above the horizon.
Netizens took to the comments section of @nypost's tweet about the news and reacted to the same with jokes and memes.
What is a cryovolcano?
National Geographic states that a cryovolcano is a type of volcano that erupts with elements like water, ammonia, or methane into an extremely cold atmosphere that is at or below its freezing point. This is why cryovolcanoes are also referred to as ice volcanoes.
According to a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Rosaly Lopes, cryovolcanoes erupt with various materials. As per National Geographic, Lopes said:
“These satellites have ice crusts. And under the ice crusts, there is a layer of water, or perhaps water with something else like ammonia, and if that liquid can come to the surface, that is what we call cryovolcanism. It just means cold volcanism.”
Lopes also stated that the process that triggers an eruption is similar for both cryovolcanoes and terrestrial volcanoes despite the differences in the material erupting from them. She further said that Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, has cryovolcanoes.
