Stargazers in the Sultanate will be able to witness the Comet Pons Brooks passing at its closest distance of 116.8 million kilometres (km) to the Sun on April 21, reaching its maximum brightness of magnitude 4.2, expected visible to the naked eye.
The 12P/Pons-Brooks is visible in the country for the first time in more than seven decades – and it won’t be returning again until 2095.
According to the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD), comets can be unpredictable for its sudden flare-ups in brightness. Therefore viewers may get a chance to catch a sight of the comet.
From Brunei, the comet will set in the west-northwest, hovering about 10 degrees above the horizon in the evening twilight all through April.
Like other comets, 12P/Pons-Brooks is a cosmic wanderer about triple the size of Mount Everest, made of a mixture of ice and rocky materials. As it approaches the Sun, these volatile matters transform to gas and dust causing an expansive cloud (coma) and a distinctive tail.
By the end of April, it fades very rapidly and moves back out into space. Comet Pons-Brooks will take another 71 years to complete another full journey around the sun – a once in a lifetime experience to see the cosmic wanderer.
The extraterrestrial object should appear as a fuzzy green blob with a hazy tail as viewed from a small telescope or binoculars.
Viewers are advised to wait for darkness (after 7.15 pm) to attempt to photograph the cosmic phenomenon. A tripod, attached with a medium lens and point the camera towards the west horizon is recommended for a stellar shot.
From the northern hemisphere, comet 12P will remain viewable for the next one or two weeks before disappearing into the bright sun’s glare and proceeding into the southern sky. – James Kon
