May 16, 2022
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed the largest comet nucleus ever discovered—it is 50 times larger than most known comet nuclei. The diameter of the nucleus of comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) is approximately 128kms across. Its mass is estimated to be around 500 trillion tonnes, which is a hundred thousand times greater than the mass of a typical comet found much closer to the sun. According to scientists, the comet’s nucleus is blacker than coal.
Did You Know?
Comets are referred to as ‘dirty snowballs’ because they are made up of rocks, gas, ice and dust.
