What are they and how you can see comets passing close to Earth – The Nacional.com

The Earth is being visited by not one, but two comets.

A unique event, because if that were not enough, one of them is “near” our planet.

it was 246 years that a comet not pass so close.

this is the P / 2016 BA14 Pan Starrs and 252P / Linear, which this week began their tour of the southern hemisphere and disappear from the north within two weeks.

However, in these days-and as you read these lines that are closer.

while both comets spend a relatively close distance-the Linear to 5.2 million kilometers and the Pan Starrs 3.5 million- appreciate anyone who wants them require a professional telescope, because it is relatively small objects.

According to the Institute of Astrophysics Canary Islands, the most important observatory Europe, the telescope has to be at least 15 to 20 centimeters opening.

As the route is from south to north, who are in the southern hemisphere should point their artifacts to the north and those who are on the northern side to the southern.

twins

Perhaps most interesting of these comets is that they are twins.

according to experts at the University of Maryland, USA, the two have almost identical orbits and similar period: with 5.25 and 5.32 years, respectively

. “the two may be related because their orbits are strikingly similar,” the head of the study center of objects near the Earth from Nasa Paul Chodas said in a statement.

“We know that comets are objects relatively fragile. Maybe during a previous passage through the solar system, or during a flyby by Jupiter, the piece is now known as Pan Starrs could have it detached from Linear “he said.

The expert said that the passage of these kite does not represent a danger to the planet.

Now or 100 years

rather, “is an excellent opportunity for scientific advancement in the study comets “.

to do this, the Hubble space telescope is closely watching this couple.

comets are objects made up of rock, ice and dust, the core varies between 10km and 40km in diameter.

the observatory Canary reported that from the astronomical point of view, the study of comets is very interesting because “they are fossils of the formation of our solar system, and contain information genesis of planetary systems. “

experts have this window of two weeks to gather as much information as possible, then consider that a comet will not happen again so close to within 150 years.