A large comet from a distance of the Solar System is approaching Earth

Scientists have been observing the curious space rock 2014 UN 271 for the past few years, which many consider to be a large comet. The object is currently approaching the sun and is expected to reach the closest point to its incredible revolution in 2031.

2014 UN271 is a comet identified in the Dark Energy Survey data captured between 2014 and 2018. Quantitative estimates suggest that it may be measurable 100 to 370 km Diameter. If so, it would be one of the largest comets ever identified. The discovery is very attractive because the material comes to us from the boundaries of the solar system.

A comet from the Oort cloud

There are actually two types of comets. On the one hand, they are called “short-lived” comets (between 3 and 15 years). Everything forms around the sun Khyber belt, A wide ring of small objects forming beyond orbit Neptune, In 30 to 55 astronomical units of the sun. Note that an astronomical unit is equal to or less than 150 million kilometers from the Earth-Sun distance.

Finally, we have comets “for a long time” that initially did not come out “anywhere” and sometimes pass through the inner solar system before reaching deep space. The Dutch astronomer John Ord finally calculated that one day there must be a huge ice cloud beyond the Khyber belt 5,000 and 100,000 astronomical units Of the sun from which these objects are to be created. This belt is the “Ort Cloud”. 2014 UN271 So coming to us from the cloud, even more mysterious.

Journey over 600,000 years

Because this formation of matter is so far away, the comets that form inside take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to complete their journey from an orbit around the Sun. Today our favorite subject completes our star tour 612 190 years. Fortunately, we can see its closest path to the earth during this incredible revolution.

Currently, 2014 UN271 is positioned under twenty-two astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. This means the comet is already closer than Neptune, located at 29.7 AU. According to estimates, it should reach the closest point of this massive tour. In 2031, The year it passes Less than 10.9 AU from the sun. At this point, it has almost reached orbit Saturn.

Meanwhile, researchers expect 2014 UN271 to develop the hairline (or coma) and tail properties of comets approaching the sun’s heat. This intimate passage will see astronomers see this object born in a part of our still intriguing system unprecedented.

After its passage at the level of Saturn, 2014 UN271 will again depart towards the Ort cloud. We will never see her again.