Space: The “largest comet of modern times” is heading towards our solar system

It comes from a place so far away that it remains a mystery, even to the most famous scientists. However, the comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein, or C / 2014 UN 27, decided to visit us. This celestial body, found in mid-June, follows the path that our solar system must take.

The meeting is not planned now as C / 2014 UN27 will reach its closest point சோலைல் Meanwhile, astronomers want to see this giant comet from the Ort cloud around the solar system.

Now some have asked why it was announced: Finding DNOs with DES is the biggest computational problem (my PhD solves this problem). Search took 15 ~ 20 million CPU-hours, and table production from our 80,000 outputs probably took more than that!

– Dr. Point Pedro Bernberdinelli June 20, 2021

The frozen sphere is located in more than 40,000 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, 40,000 times more than the Sun’s separation from Earth, according to the National Laboratory for Optical Astronomy. From the American Foundation Science (NOIRLab).

So, a very long journey for the biggest comet. Astronomers agree that this is the greatest discovery of modern times. A Peori is “1,000 times larger than a regular comet” and is estimated to be 100 to 200 kilometers in diameter.

Despite its impressive dimensions, C / 2014 UN 27 should not be feared: it does not represent any danger Terre. In 2031, during its closest orbit to the Sun, it will be far enough away from the blue planet to be visible to the naked eye.

A “big calculation problem”

But, with sophisticated equipment, scientists will not miss a single thing of the show. Although this was already observed in 2014, this giant comet, by its unique constitution and its appearance, represents a precious opportunity to learn more, especially about the formation and motion of celestial bodies.

To find out its presence last June, The Astronomers Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein of the University of Pennsylvania had to study six years of data collected as part of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). This international project is specifically trying to unravel the mystery of dark energy by mapping hundreds of millions of galaxies.

“It took 15 to 20 million hours for the processor to process,” points out Bernardinelli on Twitter. It is not possible to distinguish a “tail” in the mixture.

Characteristic element of Comets, As these frozen bodies approach the heat of the sun, the latter is formed by evaporation. The hair or coma of C / 2014 UN27 finally appeared in recent photos, allowing it to be formally identified as a comet. A decisive step in the knowledge of this extraordinary celestial body that has not yet revealed all its secrets.