Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet, which means it takes a long time to orbit the Sun – approximately 71 years. It was first discovered in 1812 (!!!) by Jean-Louis Pons.
Who found it first?
Jean-Louis Pons had no formal scientific training – he also lived in the late 1700s and began his astronomical career as a caretaker at the Marseille Observatory in 1789. He learned to use the telescopes and turned out to be one of the most prolific comet discoverers of all time (and 75% of the comets found in his time). He developed exceptional observational skills and found no less than 37 comets from 1801 until his eyesight failed him shortly before his death in 1831. His discoveries were instrumental in the study of cometary orbits and contributed to the understanding of the solar system.
The other discoverer of our Devil’s Comet is Mr William Robert Brooks who independently discovered it in 1883. He was an astrophotographer and an amateur astronomer also with an impressive career. He discovered 26 comets.
What does it do?
Just like any other good comet, 12P/Pons-Brooks orbits around the Sun.
The comet’s orbit is highly elliptical, from just inside the orbit of Jupiter at its closest approach (perihelion) to well beyond the orbit of Neptune at its farthest point (aphelion), which means it spends most of its time in the distant reaches of the Solar System.
It’s a moody little comet with sudden and violent outbursts that significantly increase its brightness, making it temporarily visible to the unaided eye even when it is relatively far from Earth. The exact cause of these outbursts is believed to be the sudden release of gas and dust from the comet’s nucleus, which is about 30 kilometers in diameter.
It was great to observe through our telescopes at Star Safari. Even though it was very low on the horizon, it was worth the effort.
