![]() When the comet was discovered in June, a report published in the US-based NOIRLab - a centre for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy - stated the comet “has an extremely elongated orbit, journeying inward from the distant Oort Cloud over millions of years.” The report also states that it's the most distant comet to be discovered on its incoming path, giving researchers years to watch it evolve as it approaches the Sun. Astronomers speculate that the comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is between 62 and 125 miles (100-200 km) long. When the comet would be closest to the Earth in 2031, its distance from the Sun will be around 10.97AU. Largest Comet in History Is Heading Toward Earth by 2031. At present, it's located at the Oort cloud, which is about 29 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, or 29 astronomical units (AU). The Hubble telescope first detected comet C/2017 K2 in 2017 when it was the most distant active. In Kyiv, at the moment when the distance will be the shortest, it will already be 5.09 a.m. A massive comet that is nearing the end of its multimillion-year trip to the sun has reached the inner solar system and will make its closest approach to Earth in July. Comet C/2017 K2 is moving towards the Sun On the night of July 13-14, the closest approach to Earth of comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) will take place. The comet has been named after scientists Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein who discovered it. A Colossal Comet Has Just Entered Our Inner Solar System, Heading Towards Earth. Due to its enormous size, astronomers had mistaken the comet for a dwarf planet when it was discovered in June 2021. It means it won’t be visible to the naked eye but should get in the range of a good telescope. According to the latest estimates, the comet's length is about 62 miles (100 kilometres) across, which is 1,000 times bigger than a typical comet. C/2017 K2 will pass through some 270 million km (168 million miles) from the Earth. Speculations are that it will get closer to just 1 billion miles. Despite having such speed and width, the chances of hitting Earth are negligible. It is coal dark, to see it, it should be large enough. The massive comet is at least 80 miles across, making it twice the width of Rhode Island. But Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is 50 times larger than a normal comet. It is likely to pass between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus. An ancient comet, believed to be over 4 billion years old is headed towards the Earth. ![]() However, the comet poses no threat to the Earth. The comet, named Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB), was discovered earlier this year and will reach its closest approach to the Sun in 10 years from now, around 2031. A gigantic comet - one of the largest ever seen - is heading toward the solar system.
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