Stargazers have been told to keep their eyes on the skies as a once-in-70 year comet is due to make an appearance - with early April the best time to spot it.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is passing near to earth on its massive 70 year orbit around the sun with late March and early April named the best time to see the unusually shaped comet. The twin tailed comet has been called the horned’ comet, or ‘devil’ comet but the European Space Agency (ESA) have gone with a more pop-culture name, calling it the Mother of Dragons comet, in a not to hit TV series Game of Thrones.
The reason they have chosen this name, apart from 12P/Pons-Brooks being a bit of a mouthful, is that it is the parent body of the ‘kappa-Draconids’, a small annual meteor shower that is active around 29 November to 13 December. “Like other comets, 12P/Pons-Brooks is composed of ice, dust, and rocky material. When it approaches the Sun, heat causes the ice inside the comet to turn from solid to gas,” explained ESA.
“The gas escapes from the surface of the comet, dragging dust with it. They form a large cloud and a tail that is pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind.” The visibility of the comet varies depending on how close it is and what the solar wind is doing. It can be very bright when highly active and close to Earth, but other times it is hard to spot.
The comet should be bright enough to see with the naked eye in a dark sky on a clear night (Josh Dury / SWNS)“The comet will reach its closest point to Earth in June 2024. However, by this time, it won’t be possible to observe the comet from the northern hemisphere. Late March and early April will offer the best opportunities,” the space agency said. In dark, clear skies the comet should be visible above the western horizon in the hours after dusk - if conditions are perfect you may be able to see it with binoculars or even the naked eye but ESA suggests bringing a small telescope for the best chance of spotting the Mother of Dragons.
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But you should grab your chance while you can as the comet won’t be back this way again until 2095. It was first spotted in 1812 by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons. Then in 1883 British-American astronomer William R. Brooks spotted it again on its next trip through the solar system. The comet ended up getting both their names because they both “discovered it” even though it later turned out that Brooks’ discovery had actually already been spotted by Pons 71 years earlier.
“12P/Pons-Brooks went on to become famous for the sudden outbursts of gas and dust observed during its approach to the Sun in 1883, 1954 and 2023. It is thought that records of bright objects in the night sky from China in 1385 and Italy in 1457 could be observations of 12P/Pons-Brooks,” ESA said on their website.
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