Deep in the Stone Age, when Neanderthals still lived alongside Homo sapiens, our ancestors may have become alarmed at a green light in the night sky. Now that light – C/2022 E3 (ZTF) (better known as the Green Comet) – is back.
The Green Comet’s highly elliptical orbit means it will take a long time to pass Earth again—about 50,000 years, to be specific. And that’s if it repeats its 50,000-year sojourn, which it might not.
Astronomers discovered the comet in March 2022 using the robotic Samuel Oschin telescope at the Zwicky Transient Facility. It passed perihelion (when it is closest to the Sun) on January 12.
Observers in the US can see the comet until early February, potentially with the naked eye if you’re in a dark viewing area, but your chances will be better if you use binoculars or a telescope. The best time to see the comet is in the pre-dawn hours, according to NASA.
The comet will come closest to our planet on February 2. The closest approach will bring it about 0.29 AU (about 27 million miles) from Earth, according to EarthSky.
G/O Media may receive a commission
Credit up to $100
Samsung backup
Reserve the next generation Samsung device All you have to do is sign up with your email and boom: credit towards your pre-order of a new Samsung device.
The comet is currently in the constellation Volovar and near Hercules, reports EarthSky. (If you have trouble finding the comet’s position, you can consult a handy interactive sky chart.) The comet’s location makes it difficult for observers in the southern hemisphere to see. From its current location in the night sky, its predicted path traces it past Ursa Minor (Ursa Minor), passing Camelopardis at its closest approach.
Comets glow due to a combination of their chemical composition and sunlight. Comets that pass close to the Sun are illuminated and warmed by its energy, which causes molecules on their surface to vaporize and fluoresce. Comet heads glow green when they contain cyanogen, or diatomic carbon, according to NASA.
The green comet could become as bright as magnitude 5 by the time it makes its closest approach to Earth, according to EarthSky. The lower the number, the brighter the object. The apparent magnitude of the full moon is about -11, and the faintest objects observed by the Hubble Space Telescope are around magnitude 30, according to Brittanica. The faintest stars we can see with the naked eye are around magnitude 6.
Although the comet may reach 5 magnitude brightness, it will probably be helpful to use binoculars or a telescope if you have difficulty spotting the object on a clear night.
The incoming space rock isn’t the only recent green comet; in 2018 Comet 46P/Wirtanen was bright enough for observers to see with the naked eye, and in 2021 Comet Leonard glowed green as the icy ball made its cosmic trajectory.
So keep your eyes peeled for clear nights ahead. If you see something with a faint green glow, it’s probably our newest space visitor.
More: Mega comet arriving from Oort cloud is 85 miles wide
Add Comment