Eclipse watchers can enjoy a special one-on-one opportunity on Monday. On April 8, the moon will block out the sun across much of the United States, plunging cities from Texas to Maine into darkness for a few minutes. But there will be another exciting astronomical event to watch out for.

Comet 12P/Ponce-Brooks, also known as the “Mother of Dragons” or “The Devil’s Comet”, is coming relatively close to the Sun for the first time in 71 years. Don’t worry, it won’t collide with Earth. This unusually large comet is estimated to be the size of Mount Everest and earned the nickname “Devil’s Comet” due to the horn-shaped flares found in its coma; it is a local cloud of gas, dust, and ice particles surrounding its solid body. comet. Core in the nebula shell.

During a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely obscures the Sun, the sky becomes so dark that you can barely see Devil’s Comet with the naked eye. Or you can get binoculars or a telescope.

Remember that it is never safe to look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse without sunglasses or a solar lens filter. The only exception to this rule is during the brief window of totality, which will last a few minutes and, if the sky is clear enough, when the sky will darken enough to see Devil’s Comet.

When and where will Devil’s Comet be seen?

To find Ponce Brooks, first look for the darkened sun on the planet Jupiter, which will appear as a small, bright point of light in the upper left corner. Once you see Jupiter, look slightly up and to the right. The comet will be between Jupiter and the Sun, but closer to Jupiter.

In close-up photographs, the comet looks like a green line in the sky and emits a green light due to the high amount of carbon dioxide it contains. But Robert Massey, vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society, said on his website that if you spot it during the comet’s full moon on Monday, it will likely appear as a small gray dot. This will be hard to notice, so make sure you also enjoy the brief moments of wholeness. Time will fly by and there are many more spectacular events to watch during the event, besides the Devil’s Comet.

How bright will Satan’s comet be?

During the eclipse, Comet Devil will have another two weeks to reach its closest distance from the Sun when it is at its brightest. On April 8, its apparent magnitude will be about 4.9, meaning it will be almost at the limit of what the human eye can see, said Jeronimo Villanueva, deputy director for strategic sciences in NASA’s Solar System Exploration Division.

However, the comet’s visibility is difficult to predict. The brightness of comets depends on how sunlight interacts with their coma. As the comet’s distance from the sun and its coma constantly change throughout its orbit, its brightness also changes. While many comets that were predicted to be dazzling disappeared by the time they reached Earth, others put on a surprisingly good show. As for Devil’s Comet, we’ll have to wait and see.

One of the advantages of Pons Brooks is that it is a cold volcano, meaning it tends to erupt quite frequently. When this happens, the cloud of ice and dust around it expands, making it brighter. So, an explosion during a total solar eclipse would be a spectacular event if it occurred.

However, if you cannot see the comet on April 8, try again in the days until April 21, when it will be closest to the sun and brightest. As the days pass, its path across our sky will move closer to Jupiter, eventually passing over the left side of the planet by April 17.