Bernardinelli-Bernstein: Astronomers discover largest comet in modern times

As per details, comet was named after University of Pennsylvania graduate student Pedro Bernardinelli and professor Gary Bernstein.

Bernardinelli-Bernstein measures between 100 and 200 kilometers in diameter.

As per scientists, this unusual comet will make its closest to our sun in 2031.But they would have need a large amateur telescope to see it.

The giant comet, also known as C / 2014 UN271, originated on the outskirts of our solar system and has been heading towards our sun for millions of years.

It is also the most distant comet that have been discovered on its inbound journey and likely to provide scientists with a chance to observe and study for coming years.

Astronomers found the giant comet after six years of data collected by the dark energy camera known as DECam, located on the 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco telescope at the inter-American observatory Cerro Tololo in Chile.

The data collected by camera feeds into The Dark Energy Survey, a collaboration of more than 400 scientists in seven countries and 25 institutions.

The DECam, helps map 300 million galaxies in the night sky – but it also captures glimpses of comets and trans-Neptuinan objects, or icy celestial bodies that reside on the outskirts of the solar system, beyond Neptune orbit.

As per authorities familiar with the matter, the comet’s journey began more than 3.7 trillion miles (6 trillion kilometers) from the sun, or 40,000 astronomical units.