Comet ATLAS has fragmented and is losing its luster in recent days. It is the sign that we will run out the great show that was expected to be able to observe at the end of the month of May. However, a possible substitute has now been observed that is drawing the attention of astronomers.
On April 11, the same day that ATLAS broke into three pieces, amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo discovered a new comet by looking at the instrument’s data. Solar Wind ANisotropies (Acronym: SWAN) from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
Although this NASA tool is not designed to find comets, its task is to probe the solar system for hydrogen. And since Comet SWAN is launching significant amounts of hydrogen in the form of water ice, its presence was picked up.
As a curious fact, Mattiazo lives – oh coincidence – in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia.
Prehistoric visitor
The new comet appears to be traveling in a very eccentric orbit around the Sun.
The simulation on these lines highlights that SWAN has a period close to 25 million years. This means that the last time you visited the inner solar system it may have been during the Oligocene, when the Paraceratherium (a genus of hornless rhino and one of the largest land mammals ever to exist) was still walking on the face of the Earth.
Future development
Currently, Comet SWAN is only visible from the southern hemisphere, in the minor constellation of Sculptor, not far from the first magnitude star Fomalhaut. As recorded on April 16, the comet’s brightness reached a magnitude of +7.8 – enough to be seen with binoculars – and it showed a head one-sixth the moon’s apparent width.
Comet SWAN, observed from Australia. Credit: Remanzacco Observatory.
The question is, will SWAN evolve to an even brighter object? Experts are cautious and respond with a shy “maybe.”
It will pass close to Earth on May 12, 2020, at a distance of 83 million kilometers, and will be at its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on May 27, when it is located about 64 million kilometers from our star. .
Assuming the comet will continue to glow at its current rate, it could hit a magnitude of 3 during the last week of May — stealing the show from the destroyed ATLAS. This opens the possibility that it can be observed with the naked eye, even in the northern hemisphere if viewed near the horizon.
But the fact that SWAN appeared so suddenly suggests a possible burst of light that, with the passing of days and weeks, could go out — and even break in the same way as ATLAS.
In other words, you have to be vigilant and cross your fingers if we want to see something great in the night sky next month.
Source: Space.com.
