The dust trail from the
largest comet outburst ever seen will grace the skies this summer — and it's going to look like a giant hourglass.
Comet 17P/Holmes,
which in October 2007 let off a huge flash of gas and dust, the largest object in the solar system.
In that brief period,
its coma, the dust cloud surrounding the comet body, had a bigger diameter than the sun.
In 2022, the particles
are again accumulating near the outburst point, meaning the dust trail will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere
The particles are tiny
but they reflect the light of the sun, making them visible with the help of a telescope as a trail in the night sky.
The comet's dust trail
is coming to skies near you in July and comet will next swing closest to the sun again on January 31, 2028.