The rarely seen Devil Comet, properly called Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, is almost here.
Astronomers and skywatchers worldwide are eagerly anticipating the return of the Devil Comet, which hasn't approached this close to Earth since 1954. As it ventures closer to the sun, the intense solar radiation fuels the transformation of its icy constituents into volatile gases, creating a resplendent tail.
The Devil Comet won't be visible again until the 2090s. Arizona astronomers, including those at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, are observing its trajectory and analyzing the characteristics of this cosmic phenomenon.
Here is everything you need to know about the Devil Comet, including how it got its nickname.
And for more celestial events this year, check out our 2024 astronomical calendar.
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When to see the Devil's comet in 2024
You can see the Devil's Comet on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
What time will the devil comet be visible?
The devil comet will be visible from about 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on June 2. Look westward to spot it. The light of the comet could be challenging to see as the sky will not be fully dark.
What is the devil's comet?
The Devil Comet is the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. It is notable for its relatively long orbital period and its observation by two astronomers in different decades.
We talked to Theodore Kareta, a postdoctoral researcher at Lowell Observatory, who said Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was first observed by Jean-Louis Pons, a French astronomer, in the 1810s and then in the 1880s by William Robert Brooks, an English astronomer.
“The object that people have been calling the Devil Comet in the press is the comet Pons-Brooks, named after the two discovers Pons and Brooks, a French and English guy respectively,” Kareta said.
“So the comet sometimes will get called 12P or 12P Pons-Brooks. The number 12 comes from the fact that it was the 12th comet to be recognized to be periodic, hence the P."
A periodic comet returns to the vicinity of the sun at regular intervals, unlike nonperiodic comets which might not return for tens of thousands of years or more. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has an orbital period of approximately 70-71 years. This means that it becomes visible from Earth roughly every seven decades.
How often does the Devil's Comet appear?
The long orbital period of the Devil Comet presents a special challenge for astronomers. When Brooks recorded it in the 1880s, it was the first time it had been observed since Pons’ sighting in the 1810s.
“The fact that it's on this long, 70-year orbital period, it's about 70 to 71 years between when people on Earth can see it easily, that's part of how it took so long to find out this object's orbit to start to understand it. The gap between one person observing it and the next set of people observing it's a human lifetime,” Kareta said.
Why do they call it the Devil's Comet?
The Devil Comet nickname arose from Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks' striking gaseous outbursts that can give it a horned appearance.
The history of the Devil Comet includes numerous reports of these outbursts. In the 1880s and 1950s, astronomers noted these sudden increases in brightness. Their descriptions of the comet becoming "five times brighter" or "100 times brighter" were fundamental in preparing modern scientists for what to expect now.
“People were writing papers and writing little diary entries, saying, ‘I was looking at this thing last night and now it's five times brighter, all of a sudden, it's 100 times brighter.’ You know, they're kind of guessing. But it meant that we already knew, even if we didn't know, how much brighter it could get. We knew that this comet was variable,” Kareta said.
What does the Devil Comet look like?
If observed at the right angle, the comet can appear to have a C-shape or even resemble Pac-Man. Most strikingly, it sometimes looks like it has two horns. This two-pronged appearance inspired its ominous nickname.
How big is the Devil Comet?
The Devil Comet is notably larger than most comets. Kareta says it is estimated to be 18-19 miles in diameter. This makes it 10 to 15 times the size of the average comet and the size contributes to its dramatic outbursts.
“A typical comment is like the size of Flagstaff downtown like you know, two-thirds of a mile across. So compared to sort of a cute small, quaint downtown, this is closer to like one of the big sort of urbanized areas inside of Phoenix,” Kareta said.
How do you spot the comet?
The last time people were able to catch a glimpse of the Devil Comet was in April during the solar eclipse. But people will be able to see it again in June.
“It had its closest approach to the sun back in April. It's going to have its closest approach to the Earth on its way back outwards around June 2,” Kareta said.
“But as it moves away from the sun, it's getting further away from us. It's getting further away from the thing that's heating it up. This means that we probably only have, I would guess, maybe three years from about now before it's now too late to be seen again until the 2090s.”
How to find the comet in the sky
When observing a comet with binoculars or a backyard telescope, many people struggle to identify it because they may only see a smudge of light and not realize it's the comet.
“One of the challenges people find, especially if they're trying to look at a comet for the first time in the backyard telescope, is that they don't really know what to look for,” Kareta said.
“They are probably aware they're going to see like a smudge. But past that, oftentimes people will see it and not really realize it. Try to get a sense of like, ‘Oh, is there something right nearby that I can sort of compare it to?’ That'll help people kind of understand what to do.”
Can I see the comet with my eyes?
The Devil Comet probably won't be visible to the naked eye, but a good set of binoculars or a backyard telescope should suffice for observation. Kareta says the brightness of comets is notoriously difficult to predict, so a telescope is recommended.
Is the Devil Comet going to hit Earth?
No scientific evidence or credible prediction suggests that the Devil Comet is on a collision course with Earth.
Why is the Devil Comet so important?
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is being studied all over the world. Kareta said Lowell Observatory researchers are focused on measuring the types of ice in the comet, such as whether there's more carbon dioxide ice than water ice.
“There are lots and lots of teams across the whole globe who are really interested in studying different aspects of how this kind of comet behaves and what it's made out of,” Kareta said.
“Myself and the students who work with me here at the observatory, one of the things we're really interested in is trying to catch these bright outbursts that occasionally make this devil pattern sort of in progress. We want to be able to try to get on the telescope that night or the next night to try to see how fast is this material moving away from the comet.”
How do astronomers study comets?
The most recent appearance of the Devil Comet was in 1954. Many of the astronomers who observed it then are not alive now. This cycle significantly hampers study.
“So compared to comets that might come around the sun, let's say every six years, every eight years, something more manageable, you might be able to study that same comet in your own lifetime four or five different times. You can see it change, you can compare notes.
"But for this, myself and all the other comet scientists, we're having to go read papers that have never been digitized,” Kareta said.
The return of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks offers astronomers the opportunity to study it with the latest technology. Instruments and techniques such as digital imaging, spectroscopy and space-based observations will provide insights that previous generations could only dream of.
“This means that there's all these new questions that we can now ask, all kinds of new technologies that we can use to study it that just weren't around in the 1950s," Kareta said. "It's a generational leap every time in our ability to understand this kind of object.
"So there's kind of a magic to this. It's long enough that humans will remember the last time but not long enough where I'm going to be studying this thing when it comes back into 2090s.”
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