Comet 12P Pons-Brooks
"The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows His handiwork."
~ Psalm 19:1
Image credit: Michael Jäger)March 4, 2024
Comet 12P Pons-Brooks 'Devil Comet' Returns
Depending on the source there may be an opportunity to see Comet 12P during the eclipse or in the ensuing two weeks as it travels in our celestial neighborhood. A note of warning; One source recommends not seeking to watch as the comet is unstable and if it were to continue to break apart, as it has been known to do in the past, that the flash of light may cause damage to the eyes. On the whole; solar eclipses are never completely safe to look at.
Illustration Credit: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates
- Roughly 18 miles in diameter,
- A ball of rock, dust and ice that orbits our sun once roughly every 70 years.
- It is known as a Halley-type comet because its orbital period falls between 20 and 200 years
- Its cryovolcanic activity which lets out blasts of gas in frigid conditions intermittently can lead it to glow more brightly.
- It is a cold volcano. In July 2023 after one such explosion the coma/cloud of vapor and dust around the comet’s rocky core—expanded more than 7,000 times the size of the comet itself causing the coma to project a horseshoe like shape (as Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association revealed to Harry Baker of Live Science). Hence, lending the appearance of a 'horned' or 'devil's' comet.
- 12P is presently hurtling toward our inner solar system, where on April 21, 2024 it will be slingshotted around the sun.
- It will reach its closest point to Earth on June 2, 2024
The position of 12P in its orbit around the sun on Oct. 13. Image credit: SpaceReference.org)
Image credit: SpaceReference.org)
What's In A Name?
Comets are named after the astronomers who discovered them. 12P was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812 then independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks in 1883.
Pons ~ from the Latin: "bridge, connecting gallery, walkway, way, passage"
Brooks ~ a natural stream, smaller than a river
For a more in-depth study on the many Biblical aspects of this comet and timing of its arrival please enjoy T. W. Tramm's article at theseasonofreturn.com or directly to the article itself: Comet Pons–Brooks: Why the Devil Is Not in the Details
Photo Credit: Alessandro Corrozzi 3-8-2024 Beryl Junction UT, USA
O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
~ Psalm 8:1, 3-4
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
~ Psalm 8:1, 3-4