Illustration of the comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein as it might look in the outer solar system NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva
Astronomers have confirmed that a “mega comet” flying towards the sun is the biggest comet from the outer solar system ever found.
In June 2021, astronomers announced the discovery of comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) beyond the orbit of Uranus. Its brightness suggested it was a vast object originating from a cloud of icy bodies that surrounds our solar system, the Oort Cloud. It was estimated to be between 100 and 370 kilometres across, making it…