1 Jul 2021

Comet believed to be largest ever discovered found

From Morning Report, 8:55 am on 1 July 2021

A comet believed to be the largest ever discovered has been exposed by a pair of astronomers from the University of Pennsylvania.

The comet is estimated to measure at least 100 kilometres long, although that figure could be conservative.

For comparison, the asteroid that slammed into earth 66 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs was an estimated 10 kilometres across.

Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein has been named after its founding astronomers - Pedro Bernardinelli and Dr Gary Bernstein.

Dr Bernstein spoke to Corin Dann.