Huge 'alien' comet continues to move towards sun. See what may happen

An 'alien' comet, which seems to have been heading straight towards the sun, has been spotted by scientists. The space iceball, which is around 3.7-mile-wide, seems to have come from somewhere outside our solar system.

This enormous comet, which is called 96P/Machholz 1, is being monitored by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. It is moving towards our star inside the orbit of Mercury and has left an icy trail.

The comet tails are generally composed of gas. It trickles behind the frozen clusters of ice and gas on getting heated by the radiation of the sun.


In an analysis carried out in 2008 over the material shed by 150 comets, it was found that 96P/Machholz 1 has less than 1.5% of the expected levels of the chemical cyanogen. It is also low on carbon.

According to the leading astronomers, it may be an interloper from another solar system. Its movement towards the sun will reveal more of its secrets.

Karl Battams, an astrophysicist at the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC, told spaceweather.com that in both composition and behavior, 96P is a very atypical comet, so we never know exactly what we may see. Hopefully, we can get some beautiful science out of it and share it with everyone as soon as possible, Battams added.

The gigantic size of Machholz 1 appears to save it from complete evaporation when it reaches the sun. Since its discovery, the SOHO has also spotted the comet, making five close passes around the sun. On Tuesday (January 31), the icy interloper will be the closest to the sun. At this time, it will be three times closer to our star than Mercury.

FAQs:

1. How big is the 'alien' comet?
   3.7-mile-wide
2. What is the name given to this comet?
   96P/Machholz 1