Wednesday, 07 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
A comet named C/2021 T4 Lemon is coming close to Earth. As per the astronomers who are keeping watch on the movement of this comet, it will come closest to the Earth in July. Nowadays it is travelling in the southern sky. Integral parts of the solar system, these comets are called tail stars because of the long tails they have. An eminent British astronomer Guy Ottewell has already written a special article on this comet which has been published in the latest issue of a science magazine.
Notably, Comet C/2021 T4 Lemmon was discovered on October 7, 2021 from the Mount Lemmon Observatory northeast of Tucson, Arizona. Since then, the scientists/astronomers have been keeping a track on its movement. The eyes of many telescopes are fixed on it. Presently, it is being seen through binoculars. The closer it comes to earth the brighter it becomes and then it can be seen with naked eyes.
According to the in-charge of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) Virendra Yadav, comets are supposed to be covered with snow. “As they reach near the Sun, the ice evaporates and takes the form of a long tail which can be incredibly long,” he added.
