Cape Canaveral, Florida: Scientists have discovered a tailless comet, which is the first of its kind.
The comet that is named after the tailless cat species Manx is possibly the ‘Key’ that can offer astronomers a different perspective into the past of our universe. Based on initial analysis, scientists believe that Manx was formed in this same region of the universe, billions of years ago.
Why haven’t we seen it before?!
The initial theory suggests that during the gravitational fight among planets for their very own orbit, Manx got tangled in different gravitational pulls of various celestial bodies and ended up being shot into the far reaches of the universe.
How will Manx help better understand the world?
Well, Manx has a unique composition which prevents it from being eroded while traveling through the world, this, in turn, prevents the formation of the tail.
This single piece could be billions of years old which have been very well preserved while journeying through time and space. Analysis of this comet could easily help shed some much-needed light on the formation and extent of our ever growing universe.
What if Manx is from this same region of the world?
Astronomers that have discovered Manx are now on the lookout for even more tailless comets. The amount of tailless comets that we find from this region will tell us exactly how the planets in our solar system came to be, in their particular orbits.
Oliver Hainaut, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory in Germany and co-author of the paper, was quoted saying “Depending on how many we find, we will know whether the giant planets danced across the solar system when they were young or if they grew up quietly without moving much.”
It’s great that Astronomers are making new discoveries every day, and helping us better understand the universe that we exist in. If you have any thoughts or views, feel free to share them below.
