Devil Comet becoming visible in night skies over Kamloops, Okanagan

A comet that has been approaching Earth for seven decades is becoming increasingly visible with binoculars and could potentially be observed with the naked eye by the end of the month. The 12/Pons-Brooks comet has a roughly 71-year orbit around the sun and is known for its sudden...

Devil Comet becoming visible in night skies over Kamloops, Okanagan
A comet that has been approaching Earth for seven decades is becoming increasingly visible with binoculars and could potentially be observed with the naked eye by the end of the month. The 12/Pons-Brooks comet has a roughly 71-year orbit around the sun and is known for its sudden bright flare-ups, according to Space.com https://www.space.com/devil-comet-12p-pons-brooks-approaching-earth . Comets are made up of dust, frozen gases, ice and rocks and as they approach the sun they get warmer and brighter as the ice turns to gas. READ MORE:Some areas of Okanagan experiencing historically low snowpack https://infotel.ca/newsitem/some-areas-of-okanagan-experiencing-historically-low-snowpack/it103839 The comet is known as the Devil Comet because of the shape of the comet’s coma — the cloud around it’s centre — looks like two devil horns. With an estimated diameter of 17 kilometres, the comet was discovered in 1812 by astronomer Jean-Louis Pons and spotted again in 1883 by comet observer William R. Brooks.  The comet will begin to fade in mid-April, gradually becoming more visible to viewers in the southern hemisphere. Later in the year, it will move back out into space for another long orbit around the sun to reappear in 2095.  To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .