By- Srushti sharma
From the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh, astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have captured a celestial spectacle.
They captured images of the mysterious Comet P12/Pons-Brooks with the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT).
Due to its unusual appearance, this celestial object has been jokingly dubbed the "Devil Comet" or compared to the "Millennium Falcon."
Every 71 years, this comet—which was first discovered in 1812—completes one orbit around the Sun.
Its recent activity, which has included several gas and dust eruptions that have significantly increased its brightness, has been especially remarkable
The picture is a composite of three distinct colour filters' individual exposures.
The stars appear displaced and tinted by the corresponding filter colours in each exposure due to the comet's rapid movement across the sky.
The main feature of the image is a bright arc that represents the comet's coma exploding, and below it is a dark lane that represents the comet's nucleus's shadow on the surrounding gas.
On November 14, there was an explosion of activity that was probably caused by solar heating that caused underground gas to burst through the icy surface.
Comet P12/Pons-Brooks is expected to provide a stunning show as it gets ready for its closest approach to Earth on June 2, 2024, and its closest encounter with the Sun on April 21, 2024.