- The green comet can be seen in the night sky now.
- It is best viewed in the early morning hours.
- It is recommended to use binoculars or a small telescope.
A green comet is speeding through Earth right now – here are some things to know about it.
W hen to see it
I’m visible in the night sky until mid-February, depending on conditions in your area — including weather, cloud cover, and light pollution. Astronomers say the best time to look is in the predawn hours and in the darkest possible conditions.
The green comet’s closest approach to Earth, also known as perihelion, is overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, when it will pass within 28,000 miles.
Where do you see it?
The green comet can generally be seen in the northern sky until early February. Search for the North Star or Polaris to get a general idea of how to spot it. By February 10th, it will be he moved Mars would be a good viewing reference point, according to Space.com.
Night sky and stargazing apps will also be useful to locate it precisely, in addition to the website Sky Live Contains a daily guide to seeing the green comet.
This image provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on December 19, 2022. It was last visited during the days of Neanderthals, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on February 1, 2023, before rapidly fading away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.
(Dan Bartlett via The Associated Press)
H ow to see it
While it might be visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions and at the right time, astronomers say binoculars or a small telescope will increase the odds of spotting the green comet as it passes Earth at about 128,500 miles per hour.
I if you don’t want to take your chances, a Live broadcast The Virtual Telescope Program will air at 11 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
Why is it green?
Scientists say carbon in the gas cloud around the comet’s nucleus makes it appear Green colorHence its nickname. The nucleus is about a mile across, while the green comet’s tails stretch millions of miles, according to the Associated Press.
Despite its green glow, the comet is not expected to be as bright as Neowise for 2020.
What’s all the fuss about?
A good reason the green comet is getting so much attention is that the last time it cruised past Earth was about 50,000 years ago – when the planet was in the middle of the last ice age.
What is known as a long time comet due to the amount of time it takes to orbit the sun.
“Such comets Russell From the far reaches of our solar system, it takes tens of thousands of years to make its way to our ocean,” Caltech astronomer Tom Prince Tell Space.com.
The official name of the green comet is C / 2022 E3 (ZTF).
Want to know more?
Join us directly Facebook Tuesday at noon ET. Astronomer and director of the University of New Hampshire Observatory, John Gianforte, will share his video and photos of the comet, give you tips on how to see it for yourself, and answer any questions.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather, the environment, and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of its parent company, IBM.
