A massive comet of volcanic origin, comparable in size to a city, has experienced a second violent eruption in four months as it continued its journey toward the sun. This eruption, like the previous one, resulted in the release of a cloud of gas and ice, creating an appearance akin to enormous horns.
Known as comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, it belongs to the category of cryovolcanic or cold volcano comets. The comet features a solid nucleus with an estimated diameter of 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) and is composed of a mixture of dust, gas, and ice known as cryomagma.
Surrounding the nucleus is a hazy cloud of gas referred to as a coma, which emanates from the comet’s interior. When the internal regions of the comet are heated by solar radiation, the pressure within the nucleus increases, leading to a violent eruption. This causes the comet to expel its icy contents through fissures in the shell of the nucleus and into space.
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