Incoming Visitor From the Oort Cloud Could Be Among the Largest Comets Ever Documented

Gizmodo ^ | George Dvorsky

[BenLurkin]

The mystery object is called 2014 UN271, and it’s currently 22 AU from the Sun (in which 1 AU is the average distance of Earth to the Sun), which means it has already passed the orbit of Neptune.

The International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center announced the detection on June 19. This object will travel another 11.1 AU before reaching its perihelion point (closest approach to the Sun) in 2031, after which 2014 UN271 will begin its long journey back to the Oort cloud.

Measuring somewhere between 62 and 230 miles (100-370 kilometers) in diameter, 2014 UN271 is one of the largest known objects to come in from the outer solar system....UN271 is probably between 60 and 93 miles (100-150 km) in length, not even close to a dwarf planet in terms of size—nor is it likely to be spherical...

That said, should the object develop a coma and tail during its perihelion in 2031, it will rank as among the largest comets ever recorded. Other examples of big comets include Comet Sarabat (observed in 1729), with an estimated nucleus around 62 miles (100 km) in diameter, and Comet Hale-Bopp, which had a nucleus from 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80 km). The newly detected object could very well be a record breaker, but we’ll have to wait for more precise size estimates to be sure.

Interestingly, this object, should it turn into a comet, could be a pristine comet, meaning a comet that’s experiencing its first flare-up during a close approach to the Sun. Observations of pristine comets are quite rare.

Should 2014 UN271 flare up into a comet, it likely won’t be visible to the unaided eye or binoculars. But at an estimated magnitude between 16 and 17, it will most certainly be visible to telescopes.

[Red Badger]

[Kriggerel]

For some reason, the headline made me hear some Bowie lyrics in my head:

“There’s a Starman
waiting in the sky,
he’d like to come and meet us,
but he thinks he’s blow our minds!”

[LIConFem]

Any chance it could it D.C.? Maybe then the states could get their sovereignty back.

[BipolarBob]

I don’t trust the Ooorts. Never did. They always have that cloaking cloud. You never know what they’re up to.

[Red Badger]

An object that size would destroy ALL life on Earth................

[Army Air Corps]

The denizens of the beltway are a bit like cockroaches...they might survive.

[LIConFem]

Ya think?

[DCBryan1]

Its the Thuktun Flishithy!

[Army Air Corps]

At least comet Kohoutek had a cool name. 2014 UN271 sounds like a food additive.

[BradyLS]

The ly better not hype it like comet Kohoutek back in ‘73 and then turn into the biggest nothing-burger ever.

[Red Badger]

It would be a ‘Major Extinction Event’....................

[LIConFem]

Yeah, but as long as it clobbers D.C., …

[Red Badger]

Maybe it’s a rogue planet:

https://www.universetoday.com/148097/a-rogue-earth-mass-planet-has-been-discovered-freely-floating-in-the-milky-way-without-a-star/

[dljordan]

I remember that book.

[The Louiswu]

Footfall...great book

[IYAS9YAS]

At least comet Kohoutek had a cool name. 2014 UN271 sounds like a food additive.

I liked Journey's version of Kohoutek

[butlerweave]

Didn’t this moron castrate himself ?

[Red Badger]

He killed himself......................and his cult all committed suicide ..................

[Yo-Yo]

Should 2014 UN271 flare up into a comet, it likely won’t be visible to the unaided eye or binoculars. But at an estimated magnitude between 16 and 17, it will most certainly be visible to telescopes.

I was excited right up until this sentence.

I missed Halley's Comet entirely in 1986, and I only caught Hale-Bopp a couple of times in 1997.