Scientists Spotted the Largest Comet Lying in the Solar System’s Outskirts with Outbursting Gases

NASA observes largest Oort Cloud comet, C/2014 UN271, exploding with CO gas jets, thanks to ALMA’s deep-space capabilities.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 21 June 2025 18:00 IST

Highlights

C/2014 UN271 is the second most distant active comet ever seen
Using ALMA, scientists spotted gas jets and heat from 137 km away
The giant comet offers clues to how the solar system formed

Scientists Spotted the Largest Comet Lying in the Solar System’s Outskirts with Outbursting Gases

The clear picture was painted when outgassing of C/2014 UN271 was observed through ALMA

Photo Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/M.Weiss

Scientists have found the largest comet from the Oort Cloud, a covering of icy bodies at the edge of the solar system, releasing chemical activity. With the help of the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the team of scientists found this comet, which is located halfway between Neptune and the Sun. This is the second most distant comet, which originated from the Oort Cloud and was found to have chemical outbursts of gases. The observations are the first direct evidence of what leads to the cometary activity when ice bodies are located far from the Sun.

Chemically Active Comet

As per NASA, the comet named C/2014 UN271 was observed during March 2025, with the help of ALMA. It was reported to be at a distance of 137 km from the solar solar system and around 10 times larger than the size of an average comet. This is also named Bernardinelli-Bernstein and found to have exploding jets of gas, mainly carbon monoxide.

How Could It be Spotted

C/2014 UN271 is reported to be the second-most distant comet originating from the Oort Cloud, which is an outburst of gas. ALMA could see it despite being far from the Sun through carbon monoxide and thermal emissions. The sensitivity of this instrument is made of an array of 66 radio antennas placed in the Atacama desert region in Chile led the scientists to know the size of the nucleus core of this comet.

Fast Radio Bursts Reveal Universe’s Missing Matter Hidden in Cosmic Intergalactic Fog

What Will Happen to It

The clear picture was painted when outgassing of C/2014 UN271 was observed through ALMA. This helped the scientists in identifying the rare look at icy bodies' chemistry from the very periphery of the solar system. It is reaching the Sun, and as it happens, it will start to heat up, and the frozen material inside will turn into a gaseous state, further erupting from the icy shell.

Future Scope of the Observation

Comets are predicted to be made of unspoiled remaining material from the formation of the solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. This could let the scientists know about the formation of the Earth and other planets.

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