Comet SWAN is getting brighter, we might be able to see it!
Comet SWAN
Earlier this year, a Comet was discovered after the larger comet ATLAS was broken into pieces. That piece was called Comet SWAN, and as it gets closer and closer to the sun, the comet becomes brighter and brighter. Comet SWAN may be visible with the naked eye by the end of this month!
Comets are relatively small celestial bodies whizzing through our solar system. They consist of ice, dust and small rocky particles and can sometimes hold very crazy orbits around the sun. Comets often have a tail. When the ice ball comes close to the sun or another star, it warms up. The ice in the comet sublimates (evaporates) and rushes away from the surface. In doing so, it carries light dust and debris particles with it. This creates a comet dust tail and coma (dusty atmosphere). It also means that comets — as they approach the sun — become brighter and brighter. The more dust is released, the brighter the comet — or more precisely, the coma, or the cloudy cloud around the core of the comet — appears.
by scientias.nlMichael Mattiazzo discovered the comet by analysing released images of the instrument the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) which is part of a space telescope that observes the sun and captures comets.
The shortest distance from Earth that the comet has had is 85 million kilometers. ( drawing a comet from Pixabay )
The Comet SWAN emits 1300 kilograms of water vapor per second. This is such a huge amount, which also increases the likelihood of perception. The more water vapor is emitted, the more reflex of sunlight there will be, which will possibly make it visible from earth!
