(ETH) – In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord said that one of the signs of his coming would be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. Next month a rare comet with an atmosphere reportedly half the size of the sun is approaching the earth and should be visible in the night sky.
This comet is known as C/2019 Y4, or simply ATLAS, and is currently passing through the orbit of Mars, at about 97,357,463 miles from the Earth and appears at about the brightness of an 8th-magnitude star. Though not visible to the eye yet, this comet is currently visible through medium-sized telescopes, glowing green from its diatomic carbon content.
There is much speculation of the exact size of the comet, but it’s estimated to be only a few miles across. But Atlas’ atmosphere, which is the gaseous cloud surrounding the comet, has a stunning diameter measuring about 447,387 miles which is about half the size of the Sun’s diameter. This mysterious comet will appear its brightest around the end of April when it will likely be visible to the naked eye or through binoculars, making its closest approach to Earth on May 23rd.
At that time, some claim it may appear brighter than Venus in our night sky. The comet’s passage is cause for astronomer’s to celebrate as the last time a comet was visible like this without a telescope in the northern hemisphere was 1997 with the passing of Hale-Bopp. At the moment the comet continues to gain speed and getting brighter as it approaches the Sun. It will be a closest to the sun at 23,517,819 miles on May 31st.
