The comet, named C / 2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein), was first discovered in 2010, but its size has only been confirmed today. Its core – the comet’s solid center – is about 50 times larger than the nucleus of most known comets and is the largest NASA has ever seen. While the comet is currently less than two billion miles away from the Sun and heading for Earth, fortunately NASA assures us that it is not a threat to us. “It will never approach more than 1 billion miles away from the Sun, which is a little further away from the planet Saturn. “And that will not happen until 2031,” said NASA. A giant “comet” is more than 80 miles wide and has an astonishing mass of 500 trillion tons, revealed the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. The comet, named C / 2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein), was first discovered in 2010, but its size was only confirmed today (artist impression)

Comet C / 2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)

Year of discovery: 2010 Core radius: 80 miles Mass: 500 trillion tons Distance from the Sun: Less than two billion miles Speed: 22,000 miles / hour Temperature: -348 ° F (-193 ° C) At 80 miles wide, the core is larger than the state of Rhode Island and almost as wide as Wales. And with an estimated mass of 500 trillion tons, the Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 100,000 times larger than typical comets much closer to the sun. “This comet is literally the tip of the iceberg for the many thousands of comets that are too dim to see in the most remote parts of the solar system,” said Professor David Jewitt, co-author of the study. “We always suspected that this comet must have been big because it is so bright at such a distance. “Now we confirm that it is.” The huge comet is currently running in space at 22,000 miles per hour and is an “amazing object, given how active it is when it is still so far from the Sun,” according to Man-To Hui, the study’s lead author. . “We guessed the comet might be big enough, but we needed the best data to confirm it,” he added. To verify its size, the team used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to take five photos of the comet on January 8, 2022. At 80 miles wide, the core is larger than the state of Rhode Island and almost as wide as Wales. In the photo, how the comet’s core is compared to previous larger comets Using a computer model, the researchers were able to differentiate the comet’s solid nucleus and the dusty coma that surrounds it, and suggest that the nucleus is even darker than previously thought. “It’s big and it’s blacker than coal,” said Professor Jewitt. The comet follows an elliptical orbit of three million years and is now less than two billion miles from the Sun. At this distance, temperatures are around -348 ° F (-193 ° C), according to NASA.
Researchers believe the comet may have originated in the Oort Cloud – the most distant part of our solar system, home to trillions of comets. Images of comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein from 2018 and 2020, showing coma with “asymmetry to the sun” Although first hypothesized more than 70 years ago, the Oort Cloud remains a theory. This is because the comets that are thought to make it up are too dim to be seen immediately.
The team hopes that the discovery of such a large comet will help shed light on the mysterious Oort cloud. “The reality of the Oort Cloud is enhanced by the theoretical modeling of the formation and evolution of the solar system,” NASA added. “The more observational evidence that can be gathered through deep-sky research combined with multiple wavelength observations, the better astronomers will understand the role of the Oort Cloud in the evolution of the solar system.”

WHAT IS THE OORT CLOD?

The Oort cloud is a huge and mysterious area that is believed to surround our solar system. It contains trillions of comets left over from the birth of the universe – and possibly larger objects such as dwarf planets as well. It starts about 0.08 light-years from the sun – 170 times the orbit of Poseidon – and extends to about 0.8 light-years. The Oort cloud (pictured) is a vast and mysterious area believed to surround our solar system. It contains trillions of comets left over from the birth of the universe – and possibly larger objects such as dwarf planets as well. Occasionally, comets from the area enter the solar system, known as long-period comets. One of the most famous this year was comet Siding Spring, which passed through Mars on October 19, 2014. However, apart from these brief visitors, not much is known about the Oort cloud. It has never been observed directly and it is not known exactly how big it is – although it is believed to determine the gravitational effect of the sun.