Comet 10P/Tempel 2 - Appearance in Bengaluru sky

Why in News?

• It was last visible from Earth five-and-a-half years ago.
• It was discovered in the year 1873.
• It completes one orbit around the Sun every 5.5 years. Its last sighting was in 2021.
• Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is a periodic comet.
• Although it returns every 5.5 years, it is not always easily visible from Earth.
• Its visibility depends on how close it comes to Earth during that return, and its position relative to the Sun in our sky.
• Depending on how bright it becomes during that apparition, some returns are excellent, while others are much less favourable.
• When the comet is closest to the Sun, the Sun’s heat causes more ice to vaporise.
• This creates the comet’s coma (the fuzzy cloud around the nucleus) and tail, making it brighter and easier to observe.
• It is best to observe the comet from a dark location away from city lights on a clear, moonless night.

Reference

The Hindu | Comet 10P/Tempel 2