DAILY STAR
A city-sized comet has “grown horns” and is heading toward Earth after massive volcanic eruption.
The comet, which is known as 12P/Pons–Brooks, is currently approaching its closest point to Earth during its 71-year orbit through the solar system.
And an expert says that due to the volcanic comet erupting it has taken on a deformed appearance and shine like a star.
On Thursday, July 20 astronomers detected a major outburst from the comet making it become around 100 times brighter than it usually appears, reports Live Science.
Richard Miles, an astronomer with the British Astronomical Association who studies cryovolcanic comets, told Live Science that in less than a week the comet’s coma – which is the cloud surrounding it – had grown to around 143,000 miles (230,000 kilometres) across.
An irregularity in the shape of the expanded coma makes the comet look as though it has sprouted horns while some experts have likened it to the Millennium Falcon, one of the iconic spaceships from Star Wars.
