This is a periodic comet that orbits the Sun every 71 years. It is called a cryovolcanic comet because internal heat sometimes produces eruptions that can make it suddenly become much brighter, and can produce jets of dust and gas that are visible around the edges of the coma.

This time around, Comet Pons-Brooks displayed a pair of horn-like features from time to time, making it resemble the shape of the Millennium Falcon spacecraft from the Star Wars movies. In this image the horns are not obvious, but there do appear to be a few bright jets emanating from the center.

Image details: Exposure times of 12 minutes luminance, and 4 minutes each of red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.5.

November 10, 2023