Something unusual is taking place to skywatchers most anticipated comet of the year.Astronomers first spotted whats been called Comet Leonard in January 2021, and soon skywatchers were eagerly anticipating December and January, when the comet was due to pass by very first Earth, then the sun. The comet ought to be brighter and brighter,” Quanzhi Ye, an astronomer at the University of Maryland who specializes in comets, informed Space.com.”Related: Comet Leonard will light up the sky this month– heres how to see itBased on what theyve seen from previous comets, researchers stress that Comet Leonards weird dimming implies the iceball might be doomed. If the comets product vaporizes in rather the right way, it could speed up the comets spin so dramatically that the iceball flies to pieces.And if Comet Leonard does break apart, researchers may never know what was the culprit. For more information on identifying Comet Leonard, visit our skywatching guide.Ye said he hasnt been able to see Comet Leonard yet since of cloudy weather, but hopes to next week.
Something strange is taking place to skywatchers most anticipated comet of the year.Astronomers first found whats been dubbed Comet Leonard in January 2021, and quickly skywatchers were excitedly preparing for December and January, when the comet was due to pass by very first Earth, then the sun. By late November, observers observed something weird. The comet should be getting brighter as it approaches the sun– and it is, however obviously just since its getting closer to Earth, not due to the fact that its becoming inherently brighter.Instead, it seems to be fading.”Its not great news. The comet ought to be brighter and brighter,” Quanzhi Ye, an astronomer at the University of Maryland who concentrates on comets, told Space.com. “If its not getting brighter then somethings incorrect, however we do not understand precisely what at this stage.”Related: Comet Leonard will illuminate the sky this month– heres how to see itBased on what theyve seen from previous comets, researchers worry that Comet Leonards odd dimming indicates the iceball might be doomed. In the past, some comets that have actually broken apart have actually faded even as they fly closer to the sun– its been the first indication that something is taking place.”Why its fading, there are all type of hypotheses,” Ye said. “The simplest and the most apparent one is something unhealthy is happening to the comet.”The most likely hypothesis, he stated, is that Comet Leonard is already splitting up, or it will begin to do so quickly. Other elements could be to blame. For instance, the comet might simply be lacking ice for the sun to vaporize, although Ye believes thats not likely. “It appears to be too coincidental,” he said.Nevertheless, its too early to call Comet Leonard a goner. “The images Ive seen from this early morning [Dec. 7], the comet still appears to be okay– morphologically it looks fine. But the intrinsically fading trend is still continuing,” Ye said. “Time will tell, we do not understand at this point.”Comet Leonard shines brilliant in this image from the European Space Agencys Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre utilizing the Calar Alto Schmidt telescope in Spain. It was produced by stacking 90 5-second exposure images of the comet taken on Dec. 7, 2021 on top of each other. (Image credit: ESA/NEOCC)Ye said that the very first indication a comet is doomed is that it loses its ion tail, a stream of charged particles pointing from the comet in the instructions opposite the sun. That function might vanish within a few hours of a comet breaking apart.Comet Leonard makes its closest approach to Earth on Sunday (Dec. 12); its perihelion, or closest method to the sun, comes on Jan. 3. The suns influence will ease up after Jan. 3, the comet isnt necessarily safe even if it survives that long.”Comets do all sorts of strange things,” Ye said. “Sometimes they break down before reaching perihelion, in some cases after, and there are even hypotheses stating that comets can disintegrate when theyre further out of the sun. We will not know till we see it happen.”There are numerous elements that could break apart a comet, Ye kept in mind. The gravitational pull of the sun or a large world could pull it apart, sure, however the comets heart might also implode. If the comets material vaporizes in rather properly, it could accelerate the comets spin so considerably that the iceball flies to pieces.And if Comet Leonard does disintegrate, scientists may never know what was the perpetrator. “Usually for individual comets its difficult to determine which is the dominant driver,” Ye said.Should skywatchers panic? This NASA sky map reveals the location of Comet Leonard in the night sky from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10 in 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)Even if Comet Leonard is fulfilling an early end, theres still time to see it in the skies. Theres usually a hold-up in between when a comet starts to disintegrate and when it fades as seen from Earth, Ye said.”Usually it will take a couple of days before you can see the comet significantly fade and change and stuff,” he said. “We must be still in for something pretty brilliant next week, merely because it takes some time for the comet to totally disintegrate.”This NASA sky map shows the location of Comet Leonard in the night sky from Dec. 14 to Dec. 25 in 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)Comet Leonard will show up in the late early mornings as it approaches Earth through Dec. 12. Then, it will vanish for a few days, concealed by the suns glare, before enhancing the evening skies by Dec. 17. For more details on finding Comet Leonard, visit our skywatching guide.Ye stated he hasnt had the ability to see Comet Leonard yet because of cloudy weather, but hopes to next week. While hes interested in what comets can tell researchers about the early days of the solar system, he values the display just as much.”Theyre fun to watch and for intense comets theyre gorgeous,” he stated. “Its great to see them in the night sky.”Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
