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Simulating the Shape of a Comet – AFP/GETTY
The comet C/2017 K2 entered the observational range of terrestrial experts since 2017, thanks to the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s estimated to be nearly 20 km wide or smaller, as reported by Newsweek on June 29.
At that time, it became the farthest discovered comet to date. C/2017 K2 was more than 8 billion km away from the sun, surpassing the distance between the sun and Earth.
Even at such a distance, this comet is observed to create a gas and dust cloud spanning nearly 130,000 km.
Scientists posit that C/2017 K2 originates from the Oort Cloud, where icy planetesimals congregate, enveloping the sun within a distance of 0.03 to 3.2 light-years.
The colossal comet has traversed a considerable distance, passing the orbits of Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Mercury before entering the asteroid belt, which serves as the boundary between the inner and outer solar system.
According to SpaceWeather.com, it’s estimated that C/2017 K2 will come closest to Earth on July 14, although the comet will still be farther away than Mars at that point.
Nevertheless, the approach of C/2017 K2 is deemed an excellent opportunity for experts to study a massive comet.