Something you would expect to read about in your latest sci-fi thriller novel is actually real life, as astronomers have shared that a comet three times the size of Mount Everest has exploded and sprouted devil horns.
Oh! It’s also headed towards Earth.
The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks but nicknamed the “devil comet” thanks to its horn-like features, is a cryovolcanic comet, or cold volcano comet, and is expected to zoom by Earth in June 2024, according to Earth.com.
The comet was first spotted in 1812 and has been monitored by scientists for months. They shared that this is the second time the space rock has sprouted horns.
When viewed through a telescope, experts say that the enormous horns can be seen protruding from the rock as it hurtles through space at more than 40,000 miles per hour, LiveScience shared.
Pons-Brooks is expected to be similar in size to Halley’s Comet, which was last seen nearly 80 years ago.
The devil comet also has a similar solar orbit, as it will appear every 71 years after making its journey around the sun and through space.
While the rock is going to give Earth a flyby next summer, scientists stressed that there is no danger to humans, as its current trajectory shows it won’t impact the planet.
The comet will be visible to the naked eye, giving stargazers a potentially once-in-a-lifetime viewing as it zooms by like a faint star-like blob with the iconic comet tail.
While the space rock is already headed towards the sun, expected to pass within 72.5 million miles on April 21, 2024, it will speed up, hitting more than 100,000 miles per hour as it hits its perihelion.
Next, Pons-Brooks will begin its journey towards Earth, making its appearance in the night sky on June 2, 2024, before it takes off into space, not being seen again until 2095.