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The so-called"Devil Comet" is barreling past Earth and exploding on its way around the sun, but a researcher who studies such phenomenon told Insider that while the comet is large and unusual, its menacing name — a reference to the appearance of horns — does not mean it poses any threat to the third planet from the sun.
Typically, comets are between 0.6 and 1.8 miles wide, according to Teddy Kareta, a postdoctoral researcher at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.We also know it is likely to be most visible next spring, but not because it's barreling toward Earth in another extinction-level event. In fact, Kareta said, at its closest the comet will still be about one-and-half astronomical units away, or put another away: even further from Earth than the sun.
Indeed, the comet is both bright and highly unusual. Its"horns" are actually tails of gas and dust formed by an odd series of explosive outbursts that scientists still do not understand. Two such outbursts have been witnessed this year: first in July, then earlier this month. These outbursts have been particularly interesting due to their frequency and where they occurred. One theory is that comets contain forms of ice that, when exposed for the first time to heat from the sun, cause volatile explosions. But those explosions have typically been observed closer to the sun, and not often. According to Kareta,"it might happen twice in five years."
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