Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks to greet Earth on April 21
As it zooms towards the sun on its return journey after 71 years
Mumbai: A periodical comet, named '12P/Pons-Brooks' is scheduled to greet Earth from its closest point in the dark skies from April 21 as it zooms towards the sun on its return journey after 71 years, exciting the international scientific community.
This week, the comet gave its early glimpses to humanity as a bright, tiny spot which was captured on camera by some astronomers from India, scientist and founder-secretary of the Amateur Astronomers Association (Mumbai) Dr. Bharat Adur told IANS. Among them was an amateur astronomer from Jorhat, Assam, whose photo of 12P/Pons-Brooks’ was shared on social media by Biswajit Bose of Kolkata, sending thrills among the sky-gazer community all over, and now they await the comet’s perihelion passage, gushed Dr. Adur.
The ‘perihelion passage’ – starting from April 21 - refers to the 12P/Pons-Brooks’ closest point to the sun when it will shine the brightest, and then will approach Earth till around 232 million kms by June 2, when it will be visible from many parts of the world, but it will be fainter.
