Largest Comet Ever Detected

According to a study published by Cornell University of New York, a comet much larger than any discovered so far has been detected. The comet, named Bernardinelli-Bernstein, is thought to enter our solar system in about 10 years.

Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein, thought to be 1,000 times larger than any star discovered so far, is at least 100 kilometers across. It was previously thought to be a dwarf planet by astronomers, but with continued observations, it was realized that this giant celestial body was a comet.

Bernardinelli-Bernstein will settle outside Saturn’s orbit in 2031

The foundations of the project, which allowed us to detect this huge comet, were laid in 2013. A lot of important data was obtained in the study conducted between August 2013 and January 2019 by the Dark Energy Survey (DES), which examines the expansion of the universe. During the survey, astronomers mapped 300 million galaxies and discovered more than 800 previously unidentified objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein was just one of these objects.

The most important reason for this comet to attract more attention is that it is 1000 times larger than any discovered so far and is rapidly moving towards the Solar System. Researchers had to make more detailed studies to understand that the object, which they previously thought to be a dwarf planet, was a comet.

“We have perhaps the privilege of discovering the largest comet ever seen. We caught it early enough to be able to track its evolution as Bernardinelli-Bernstein approaches and transforms into humans,” said researcher Gary Bernstein. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein will enter Saturn’s orbit in 2031, according to the study. Currently, this comet is at a distance of 29 times the distance from Earth to the Sun. It is stated that this gigantic piece of rock, which will settle into orbit at the end of 10 years, does not pose a threat to the Earth.