Comet Machholz 1 (96P/Machholz), closely watched by the American and European space agencies NASA and ESA, is now heading towards the Sun, orbiting Jupiter.

Comet McHoltz is 1.6 kilometers wide and has an unusual composition. It contains less than 1.5% of the expected level of cyanide gas and is also low in carbon. This led astronomers to conclude that the comet could be an “intruder” from another solar system. Getting closer to the Sun will help scientists unravel more of the comet’s secrets.

Carl Battams, an astrophysicist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, said:

96P is a very unusual comet, both in composition and behavior, so we never know exactly what we might see.

Comet Machholz 1 (96P/Machholz) was first observed by amateur astronomer David Machholz in 1986 using a homemade telescope. Most comets that fall on the Sun are smaller than 10 meters and therefore burn up as they approach the star.

However, Machholz 1’s massive size (more than two-thirds of Everest’s height) seems to keep it from completely evaporating. Since its discovery, the comet has made five close passes around the Sun.