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Megacomet C / 2014 UN271 Likely LARGER than one of Mars’ moons, 150 km in diameter, new study finds
- Megacomet C / 2014 UN271 could be 93 miles in diameter, new study finds
- It was previously thought to be 1,000 times the size of a normal comet
- Earlier this month, astronomers spotted an “apparent explosion” of luminosity on the comet, but it has since faded.
- Comet 2014 UN271 is currently about 19 astronomical units (AU) from the sun
- In July, New Zealand astronomers spotted the first activity on the megacomet
- He is originally from the Oort Cloud, an area believed to surround the solar system
The megacomet first discovered in June amazes astronomers of its size, as it can be 93 miles in diameter, making it larger than one of the moons on Mars, according to a new study.
As astronomers continued to study comet C / 2014 UN271, its size was refined, the study’s authors wrote in the article.
With a diameter of 150 km, it would be larger than the moon of Mars Phobos, the asteroid 55 Pandora and the space rock known as Arrokoth, according to an analysis by astronomer Will Grater.
This artist’s illustration shows C / 2014 UN271 as it might appear in the most remote parts of the solar system
With a diameter of 93 miles, 2014 UN271 is believed to be larger than Mars’ moon Phobos, asteroid 55 Pandora and the space rock known as Arrokoth, according to an analysis by astronomer Will Grater
The C / 2014 UN271 mega-comet which was first discovered in June – and whose size astronomers marvel at – could be 93 miles or 150 kilometers in diameter
The comet originated in the Oort Cloud, a vast and mysterious region believed to surround the solar system
The comet originated in the Oort Cloud, a vast and mysterious region that is said to surround the solar system.
Earlier this month, the Las Cumbres Observatory spotted an “apparent explosion” of luminosity on the comet, although it has since faded.
Astronomers, including Berrardinelli, believe that comet 2014 UN271 has a weak tail.
The comet has a weak tail, as evidenced by the pixel images above (the tail is pixelated in red)
The study was published on the arXiv preprint repository and was submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Comet 2014 UN271 is currently around 19 astronomical units (AU) of the sun, according to The Sky Live.
For comparison, Earth is one AU or about 92.95 million kilometers from the sun.
Data shows the object has traveled about seven AU in the past year, which would put it within 10.9 AU of the sun by 2031.
By then, it is predicted that the object will develop a comet tail from its icy material on the surface as it vaporizes from the heat of the sun.
In July, New Zealand astronomers spotted the first activity on the megacomet when they saw signs of a coma, an area of spreading gas and dust.
Considering the size of the comet’s nucleus, considered the largest since the discovery of comet Hale-Bopp in 1995, it has a lot of mass to heat.
Scientists predict C / 2014 UN271 will be the same distance from the sun as Saturn by 2031, which will be its closest approach to Earth in 600,000 years
Scientists predict that 2014 UN271 will be the same distance from the sun as Saturn by 2031, which will be its covert approach to Earth for the first time in about 600,000 years.
Astronomers identified this object thanks to the results of the Dark Energy Survey, which captured astronomical data between the years 2014 and 2018.
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