It’s not your Marvel hero! Incredible Hulk is the nickname that has been given to a huge bright green comet which will make the sky of Northern Hemisphere glow green on August 7. As it travels near the sun, the gigantic structure grows brighter. Today, the celestial object will make its closest approach to Earth. Science experts reported that the comet would be visible to the naked eye, as it comes closer to the planet, its size of the dust cloud appears twice the size of Jupiter—the largest planet in the Solar System. This will be the Incredible Hulk’s first trip to the ‘inner’ galaxy.
It could be spotted by skywatchers in the northern hemisphere using binoculars. In the southern hemisphere, there is less chance to spot the green comet. The Hulk got its name from its green colour and incredible size. Its actual name is much hard to remember; PANSTARSS C/2017 S3. This was reported by Russian researcher of cometary meteorites Yevgeniy Dmitriyev. In the report, the expert further reminded that the comet was first noticed on September 23, 2017.
Explaining The Hulk, Dmitriyev said that the space giant is surrounded by 260,000-kilometre-long cloud of dust and gas, which is electrified by the solar wind. C/2017 S3 will be about 70 million miles away from Earth at its closest approach. Gradually, the comet is speculated to head towards the sun, swinging around on August 16 and then zipping back out to the distant reaches of our solar system.
As the astronomy lovers are gearing up to watch the rare celestial today, the Russian news reports have been warning that the Incredible Hulk could cause damage and disaster as it enters our solar system. However, scientists agree that the Hulk is benign and poses no threat to life on earth. So, worry not and enjoy the view as it shines brighter in the night sky.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2018 04:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).