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A recently discovered green comet will soon zip by Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. It was last seen in the night sky during the Stone Age.
Discovered on March 2, 2022 by astronomers using the Wide-Field Survey Camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, the comet made its closest approach to the Sun on January 12. POT.
name C/2022 E3 (ZTF)The comet has an orbit around the Sun that passes through the outer edges of the Solar System, which is why it took such a long way — and so long — to swing by Earth again. Planetary Society.
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The icy asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth between February 1 and February 2, at a distance of about 26 million miles to 27 million miles (42 million kilometers to 44 million kilometers), according to earth is sky.
According to EarthSky, even at its closest approach, the comet will be more than 100 times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
As the comet approaches Earth, observers will be able to spot it as a faint green haze near the bright star Polaris, also known as the North Star. Comets reflect different colors of light due to their current position in orbit and chemical composition
The early morning sky, when the moon has set after midnight for people in the Northern Hemisphere, is best for viewing comets. The space object will be more difficult to see for people in the Southern Hemisphere.
Depending on its brightness, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible to the unaided eye even in dark skies, but binoculars or a telescope will make the comet easy to spot.
The comet can be distinguished from stars by its dust tail and energetic particles, as well as the bright green coma surrounding it.
A coma is an envelope that forms around a comet as it approaches the Sun, causing its ice to rise or turn directly into gas. This makes the comet appear faint when observed through a telescope.
Comets will form after passing by the Earth February 10 is closest to MarsAccording to EarthSky.
If clouds or inclement weather obstruct the view of the sky, The Virtual Telescope Project will share a livestream of the comet In the sky above Rome. And don’t miss out Other Celestial Events to Watch for in 2023.
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