A green comet that hasn’t passed Earth since the Stone Age is currently visible in the night sky and is approaching tonight.
The comet will not be visible for the next 50,000 years, making it a unique opportunity to see.
It’s called C/2022 E3 (ZTF) and was only discovered last year. Here’s everything you need to know about the comet and how to see it from the UK.
What is a green comet?
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered orbiting Jupiter in March 2022 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, a public-private partnership that studies the night sky.
The comet is thought to have originated in the Oort cloud, a zone of material surrounding the sun at the very edge of the solar system that scientists say contains more than a trillion icy objects.
Scientists initially thought it was an asteroid, but it has since brightened significantly as it passed the northern constellation Northern Corona.
The comet has a green coma with a gas cloud surrounding an icy rock core and a yellowish tail. The first photo was taken in December.
This was stated by Bryce Bolin, one of the scientists who discovered the comet. Boston Sphere The team “secretly hopes it falls apart” because “that’s where the most interesting science is.”
“Comets are the cats of the solar system; They do what they want,” he said.
“Like cats, they are fluffy. Comets have been observed to exhibit peculiar behavior such as fragmentation or disintegration.
“But there is no really strong correlation between the distance from the Sun and the type of decay events that occur. It can decompose on its way to the sun even before it approaches it, or even after.
How can I see a green comet from the UK?
The comet made its closest approach to the Sun on Thursday, January 12, and will make its closest approach to Earth on Wednesday, February 1, when it is 16.4 million miles away, according to NASA.
In early February, the comet should be visible in the night sky, possibly even without equipment on a dark and clear night. However, you can get a better view with binoculars or a telescope. There are also live streams on YouTube, you can find one here.
NASA stated: “Comets are notoriously unpredictable, but if this comet continues its current trend towards brightness, it will be easy to see with binoculars and it is possible that it will become visible to the naked eye under dark skies.”
If you use a stargazing app, you can use it to find the exact position of a comet in the sky. Note, however, that some apps may not update their location, so you may need to try a few others.
The comet passed through the constellations of Bootes and Draco, passing Ursa Minor at the end of January.
Today the comet is in the constellation Camelopardalis. At its closest approach, it will pass through the Aurigae and enter Taurus in mid-February before dark.
The Greenwich Royal Observatory says: “If using a telescope or binoculars, the comet will be clearly visible in the night sky at a current magnitude of +7 from January 12 until its closest approach to Earth.
“In the week of January 16, the comet will be best visible in the early morning hours, and towards the end of the month and early February, it will be visible in the evening.
“If you want to prevent the bright light of the moon from reducing your chances of seeing a comet, check what time the moon rises near you and try not to watch that time.”
The comet is best seen after midnight when it reaches its highest point in the sky.
Preston Dyches of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in the video, “This comet is not expected to be as much of a spectacle as comet Neowise in 2020.
“But it’s still a great opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from a solar system far, far away.”
Source: I News
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