National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) informed that a comet would pass near the earth in early February. Don’t miss it, because this comet can be observed without optical aids!
Researcher at the BRIN Space Research Center (PR), Andi Pangerang, said that this comet only passes once in its lifetime because of its hyperbolic orbit. He suspected this comet was an interstellar comet (interstellar).
A hyperbolic orbit is an orbit that has an eccentricity value greater than one, so that it forms an open curve at both foci. The hyperbolic orbit is more elongated than the parabolic and elliptical orbits.
This comet named C/2022 E3 (Zwicky Transient Facility or ZTF) was first observed on July 10, 2021. ZTF is the name of a wide-field-of-view astronomical observation facility, which uses cameras connected to the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory, California , United States of America.
“There is a possibility that this comet did not come from the Oort cloud, the repository for transneptune comets and asteroids in the Kuiper belt, but from another solar system. Which means this comet is suspected to be an interstellar comet like oumuamua,” Andi said as quoted from the LAPAN website, Friday (13/1/2023).
How to Observe Comets
This comet can be observed without using optical aids for remote and rural areas until February 13, from 18:30 to 01:00 local time from North to West near the constellation Taurus. The comet culminates in a northerly direction at 19.00 local time with a height of 64.2 degrees for DKI Jakarta and its surroundings.
This comet can be observed simply by looking for a place free from light pollution, a field of view free from obstructions when observing comets, and of course the weather conditions at the observation site are quite bright!
The moment the comet passes can be captured using a DSLR camera, CCD camera attached to a telescope and connected to a laptop/computer.
Note the right time to be able to see this comet on the next page.
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