Why It’s Exciting for New England That the ‘Devil Comet’ is Hurtling Toward Us

The nickname "Devil Comet" definitely grabs your attention, and get this: it's larger than Mount Everest. To give you a comparison, Mount Everest is nearly 23,000 feet taller than New Hampshire's Mount Washington, which as you probably know, is the highest peak in the entire northeast.

Comets heading toward Earth aren't uncommon, and we like hitting up our New England beaches to enjoy the light show. However, when this particular one called the Devil Comet comes into play, visions of Hollywood disaster movies can't help but take over our thoughts.

What's even more exciting is that we'll be able to see it with our own eyes by simply using binoculars. So let's dive into a few fun facts about this horrifyingly scary-sounding comet that (spoiler alert) we don't have to fear, even though it's hurtling toward the planet.

IT HAS HORNS

According to Astronomy, it's called the Devil Comet because it looks like it has horns. And yes, it's big and weird-looking in such an unimaginable size to us. But get this: the Devil Comet is the same size as the widest part of one of the most famous comets, Halley's Comet.

IT HAS A BORING, SCIENTIFIC NAME

While nicknames are fun and grab our attention, the Devil Comet does have a real name, according to Astronomy. It's called Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, or simply Pons-Brook by professional scientists.

IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 200 YEARS

According to Astronomy, the Devil Comet circles the sun every 72 years or so, and we humans can only see it maybe once or twice in our lifetimes, if at al. Oh, and by the way, it's been around since 1812, hurling toward Earth several times.

DON'T BE SCARED

The reason we'll be able to see it with our own eyes is because of the solar eclipse this April 21, 2024, that will make it stand out and shine brightly. However, it will still be more than 74 million miles away as it starts to head back into space away from us, so there's zero threat to us, according to Astronomy.

BRING IT ON

The last time the Devil Comet was this close was in 1954, and it won't happen again until 2095, according to Astronomy. If anything, the Devil Comet hurtling toward Earth means a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse is even more memorable than most. This is because we'll be able to see this astronomical wonder due to that eclipse.