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last mo.

Record-Sized Oort Cloud Comet Emits Massive Carbon Monoxide Jets Far From Sun

ALMA observations at 16 astronomical units detected carbon monoxide jets from the 137-kilometer-wide comet.

An artist rendition of comet C/2014 UN271, the largest known comet in the Oort Cloud. Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/M.Weiss
Record-Sized Comet Seen Belching Jets From Surface as It Heads Our Way
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Overview

  • Comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli–Bernstein) spans about 137 kilometers in diameter, surpassing all previous Oort Cloud comets.
  • Spectrometry confirmed the jets were composed primarily of carbon monoxide and revealed the formation of a dust-and-gas coma around the nucleus.
  • Observations on March 8 and 17, 2024, showed the comet’s outgassing patterns shifting from two jets to a single jet over nine days.
  • The early activity at Uranus’s orbit challenges existing models of cometary outgassing and offers fresh data on primordial Solar System materials.
  • C/2014 UN271 is projected to reach its closest point to the Sun at Saturn’s orbit on January 29, 2031, with astronomers expecting increasing activity as it advances inward.