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Comet is 16 miles wide and it could be heading towards Earth https://trib.al/h3WjOOb
3:51 PM · Mar 16, 2022
Comet is 16 miles wide and it could be heading towards Earth
By
Jona Jaupi, The Sun
March 16, 2022 4:49pm
Updated
The comet Swift-Tuttle is considered the most dangerous object in our solar system.EPA/DANIEL REINHARDT
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY:
Every year, stargazers get out their telescopes with excitement to watch the Perseids meteor showers in July and August – and Comet Swift-Tuttle is to thank.
The Perseids, which appear to us as beautiful shooting stars lighting up the night sky, is really an enormous stream of space debris that our Earth is periodically passing through.
This stream extends for more than 15 million kilometers through space and is the product of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
What is the Comet Swift-Tuttle?
Swift–Tuttle (officially designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle) is a periodic comet that orbits our sun every 133 years.
Comets are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust”, according to NASA.
They’re made of leftovers from the formation of the solar system.
When a comet approaches the Sun, it forms a “tail” made of gas and dust particles that face away from the large star.
Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862.
There are currently 3,743 known comets in our solar system, but Swift-Tuttle is the most concerning.
Why is Swift-Tuttle believed to be dangerous?
This comet is estimated to have a nucleus of about 16 miles across – twice the size of the Chicxulub impactor, which was the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
Swift-Tuttle also follows a very steep orbit around the Sun, which contributes to its quick-moving speed of about 36 miles per second.
In fact, the comet is moving four times faster than Chicxulub did when it impacted Earth, according to Space.com.
View: https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1504198770506055681
@nypost
Comet is 16 miles wide and it could be heading towards Earth https://trib.al/h3WjOOb
3:51 PM · Mar 16, 2022
Comet is 16 miles wide and it could be heading towards Earth
By
Jona Jaupi, The Sun
March 16, 2022 4:49pm
Updated
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY:
- NASA warns at least FIVE asteroids are heading toward Earth in January
- NASA reveals NEW James Webb Space Telescope images
- Space rock the size of a bus makes close pass to Earth
- NASA’s mega-rocket that will take humans to the Moon AND Mars is ‘ready to launch’
Every year, stargazers get out their telescopes with excitement to watch the Perseids meteor showers in July and August – and Comet Swift-Tuttle is to thank.
The Perseids, which appear to us as beautiful shooting stars lighting up the night sky, is really an enormous stream of space debris that our Earth is periodically passing through.
This stream extends for more than 15 million kilometers through space and is the product of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
What is the Comet Swift-Tuttle?
Swift–Tuttle (officially designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle) is a periodic comet that orbits our sun every 133 years.
Comets are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust”, according to NASA.
They’re made of leftovers from the formation of the solar system.
When a comet approaches the Sun, it forms a “tail” made of gas and dust particles that face away from the large star.
Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862.
There are currently 3,743 known comets in our solar system, but Swift-Tuttle is the most concerning.
Why is Swift-Tuttle believed to be dangerous?
This comet is estimated to have a nucleus of about 16 miles across – twice the size of the Chicxulub impactor, which was the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
Swift-Tuttle also follows a very steep orbit around the Sun, which contributes to its quick-moving speed of about 36 miles per second.
In fact, the comet is moving four times faster than Chicxulub did when it impacted Earth, according to Space.com.
View: https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1504198770506055681
