Astronomers have captured possibly the largest comet ever

Astronomers from the Las Cumbres Observatory captured an image of comet C/2014 UN271 on the evening of June 22, 2021, confirming

that the object is an active comet.The approaching Oort cloud object, originally designated minor planet 2014 UN271, has now been renamed Comet C/2014 UN271 Bernardinelli-Bernstein. The site was named after two of its discoverers, Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein, both of whom worked on the Dark Energy Survey.

Comet discovered in Dark Energy Survey data,collected by the Blanco telescope in Chile from 2013 to 2019. Confirmation of the comet's active status comes just three days after the initial announcement of its discovery on June 19. 

A comet surrounded by a cloudy gas layer can be seen in the center of this color composite image. Image: LOOK / LCO

With an estimated size of 100 to 370 km inthe length of the object could potentially be among the largest comets ever discovered. The size of the nucleus of Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein still needs to be clarified, so it is too early to make any definitive statements on this matter. However, if confirmed, it could be three times the size of the current record holder, Comet Hale-Bopp.

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