Green comet sky location
Author: k | 2025-04-24
Comet maps and mobile apps like Sky Map assist in locating the comet. Green comets, like the Green Comet, get their color from carbon and nitrogen compounds. Yellow
Green Comet 2025: Find It in the Sky!
This photo provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Dec. 19. It last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. (Dan Bartlett via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A comet is streaking back our way after 50,000 years.The dirty snowball last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It will come within 26 million miles of Earth Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.So do look up, contrary to the title of the killer-comet movie “Don’t Look Up.”Discovered less than a year ago, this harmless green comet already is visible in the northern night sky with binoculars and small telescopes, and possibly the naked eye in the darkest corners of the Northern Hemisphere. It’s expected to brighten as it draws closer and rises higher over the horizon through the end of January, best seen in the predawn hours. By Feb. 10, it will be near Mars, a good landmark.Skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere will have to wait until next month for a glimpse.Graphic showing location of the green cometWhile plenty of comets have graced the sky over the past year, “this one seems probably a little bit bigger and therefore a little bit brighter and it’s coming a little bit closer to the Earth’s orbit,” said NASA’s comet and asteroid-tracking guru, Paul Chodas.Green from all the carbon in the gas cloud, or coma, surrounding the nucleus, this long-period comet was discovered last March by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility, a wide field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. That explains its official, cumbersome name: comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).On Wednesday, it will hurtle between the orbits
THE GREEN COMET - Adirondack Sky Center and
20, and just 1% illuminated on Sunday, Jan. 22, so those also could be good viewing nights or mornings in addition to Saturday.Find a dark location“New Jersey has lots of light pollution, so you’ll be wanting to find a place with the darkest skies,” Gallagher said. “Binoculars or a telescope may help you. But then, at some points, we’re going to have the moon in the sky, and that washes out dim objects too.”AccuWeather says the comet “will drift across the night sky throughout January, eventually meeting up with the constellation Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Dipper. The constellation will serve as a reference point, making it easier to spot Comet ZTF during the final nights of January.”If you’re looking for more specific details on which area of the sky to focus on, these two astronomy websites offer helpful maps:A recently discovered comet known as Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible from Earth in January and February 2023, experts say. The green comet is expected to get brighter during the final weeks of January, but some experts say a telescope or binoculars may be needed to get the best view of this cosmic snowball.The Saginaw News | MLive.comTips for taking photos of the cometFor stargazers who are interested in taking photos of the rare comet, here are a few helpful tips from Astronomy.com:Use a tripod, set your camera to manual mode and use a remote release or time-delay for the shutter so you don’t jostle the image.Focus on a bright star, the moon or the comet itself.Set your aperture to the widest value, the lowest f-number.Set the ISO between 400 and 800 for bright comets, and higher for fainter ones.Experiment with exposure times, usually 15 seconds or less to avoid stars turning into lines.Thank you for relyingSee the Green Comet's path across your virtual sky - CosmicDS Green Comet
Below the brightness that all but guarantees its visibility with the naked eye, but there's a reasonable chance that it will be.But Dr Brown says that a decent pair of binoculars or small telescope would of course make a difference.Sky News reader John Short took the photo at the top of this article using a Vaonis Vespera smart telescope.As for those aforementioned apps, some of them don't update regularly enough to include newly found objects like C/2022 E3 (ZTF), but the major ones at the top of your phone's app store search results should do.And either way, they'll be useful for helping you find those constellations if you're unsure.Dr Brown also recommends trying web-based resources like The Sky Live, which track new and popular interstellar objects and can help plan your observation. Image: Another shot from Pico de las Nieves, taken in the early hours of 1 February What if I'm reading this on Friday - am I out of luck?Not necessarily!This comet was visible before Wednesday night, and it will be visible beyond Thursday - you'll just need equipment."It should still be a decent sight for a few weeks," says Dr Brown."Though it will rapidly stop being visible through binoculars, requiring a small-medium telescope as it fades."It will also be moving across the sky throughout this time, so be sure to check where it is before hunting for it."More like this:Hundreds of sightings of fireball in UK skiesMeteorite boosts theory regarding origins of Earth's oceans Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2020: Comet streaks across N Ireland night sky And sorry, I should have asked this earlier… why is the comet green?This icy green comet gets its colour due to a reaction between its gases and the sun.The carbon compounds in those gases coming from the comet interact with ultraviolet light from the sun, and that's what gives it its green glow.It makes for a striking sight, and its orbital period - how long it takes to travel round the sun - means the last time it illuminated the night sky was back in the Stone Age.So, if you're heading out to see it, the very best of luck.. Comet maps and mobile apps like Sky Map assist in locating the comet. Green comets, like the Green Comet, get their color from carbon and nitrogen compounds. YellowGreen Comet 2025: Find It in the Sky! - timeanddate.com
Update: The Green Comet (c/2022 e3 ZTF) otherwise known as Comet ZTF is currently traveling away from Earth and out of our solar system, never to return again. Your last (and best) chance to catch a glimpse will be on February 10. The full Moon will interfere until that time. (See below.)Learn more about upcoming sky events in our February Night Sky Guide.Published on January 12, 2023:Newly-discovered Comet ZTF is coming the closest to the Earth in 50,000 years, becoming visible to the unaided eye, and making big headlines. Some are calling it a “super rare” and “bright green” comet, but will it live up to the hype? We explain.Comet ZTF FactsComet ZTF was discovered in March 2022 by a wide field survey camera attached to a telescope known as Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in Southern California (overseen by the Planetary Society). ZTF scans the entire northern sky every two days and captures hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies in a single shot. Many comets have been found with this instrument. The most recent is catalogued as Comet c/2022 e3 ZTF, Comet ZTF for short.Why Is It Rare?Over the last 50,000 years, Comet ZTF has travelled a distance of 2.8 trillion miles and will make its closest approach to the Earth on Feb 1, 2023 (a distance of 26 million miles), according to Dan Bartlett/NASA. Orbital computations suggest that Comet ZTF may never return again.What Makes ZTF A Green Comet?The greenish color is likely due to a molecule made from two carbon atoms bonded together, called dicarbon. This unusual chemical process is confined chiefly to the head, not the tail. If you get a look at Comet ZTF, that greenish hue is likely to be quite faint (if it is visible at all). The appearance of green comets due to dicarbon is fairly uncommon.Recent images show the head (coma) appearing to be distinctly green and trailed by an impressively long thin blush appendage (the tail). But that is what a camera taking a long exposure sees. The tint will look much less green to theSee a Green Comet in the Night Sky: Where and
It's fair to say this is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often.For the first time in some 50,000 years, a green comet has this month been making a fly-by past Earth - and your best chance to spot it has now arrived.Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has been already visible through binoculars and telescopes, but will look so bright on Wednesday and Thursday night that you could be able to see it with the naked eye.Here's how to make sure you have a spectacular view.What time should you be on the lookout?The first two nights of February were earmarked as the best time to see the comet because that's when it will be closest to the Earth - a mere 28 million miles away.It means it will be visible from both the northern and southern hemisphere.Dr Greg Brown, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, tells Sky News that those in the UK should wait until after midnight for the optimal view."In northern latitudes, like the UK, this part of the sky is low above the horizon early in the evening at this time, so waiting until after midnight, when it is much higher, is your best bet," he says. "The comet is at its brightest about now and will quickly drop in brightness as it starts to move away from us." Image: The comet seen from Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, in mid-January Where should you be looking?The comet has travelled through the Corona Borealis, Bootes, Draco, and Ursa Minor constellations on its way to Camelopardalis the giraffe.But you might be best served looking roughly halfway between Ursa Major and Minor, the two bears, Dr Brown says.If that has you scratching your head, you might want to consider a stargazing app like Night Sky or SkyView to help locate the constellations.By pointing your smartphone's camera up at the night sky, such apps will use augmented reality to tell you which constellations you're looking at and offer tips on how to spot comets.As for your location on the ground, Dr Brown suggests a place with "minimal light pollution".He adds: "Beyond that, as long as your sky is clear and you have a view of the part of the sky the comet is in, you should have a good chance." Image: As seen from the Pico de las Nieves, Gran Canaria And I don't need any extra equipment?C/2022 E3 (ZTF) falls justA Rare Green Comet Can Be Seen in The Sky, And It
When it approaches its closest point to our planet on Feb. 1, it won’t look as bright as a star, Gallagher noted. “It’s going to look like a small, fuzzy object — not a bright, pinpoint of light.”Marty McGuire, a NASA Solar System Ambassador from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, agrees that casual observers shouldn’t get their hope up too high, because the comet might not get too bright and its orbit can be unpredictable as it moves closer to our hot sun.“The thing with comets is as they get closer, they could get demolished in a matter of minutes,” said McGuire, who is known in the Lehigh Valley as the “Backyard Astronomy Guy.”Because of its unpredictability, some experts say it might be a good idea for stargazers to grab a pair of binoculars or a small telescope and look for the green comet the next time the night sky is clear.A recently discovered comet known as Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible from Earth in January and February 2023, experts say. The green comet is expected to get brighter during the final weeks of January, but some experts say a telescope or binoculars may be needed to get the best view of this cosmic snowball.AP file photoWhen to see the green cometIf you live in the United States, or anywhere else in the northern hemisphere, the best time to look for the comet will be in the hours after midnight and before dawn, according to EarthSky.org and IGN.com. They recommend looking into the northern part of the sky.Some astronomy experts say this upcoming weekend could be ideal to look for this rare comet, because the sky will be very dark — thanks to the new moon phase on Saturday, Jan. 21. The moon will only be 3% illuminated on Friday, Jan.The Green Comet is Racing up the Northern Sky at
An extremely rare comet was visible during dawn in the sky above Abu Dhabi on January 14. Comets are of interest to scientists because they are remnants of the early Solar System, and can tell us about the conditions and composition of the early Solar System. When a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ice in the comet to turn into a gas, which surrounds the nucleus of the comet in a bright coma. The gas and dust in the coma form a bright tail that always points away from the Sun.When these comets pass by Earth, they are seen as glowing balls in the sky with a faintly lit tail. Although comets periodically pass by Earth, the expected flyby of a recent, rare green comet has excited scientists and skywatchers around the world as it has come back for the first time in nearly 50000 years! And it may never do so again!What is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?Although comets often make close flybys, the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is particularly special as it has a period of around 50000 years. That means the last time it flew past Earth closely, it was seen by Neanderthals during the Upper Paleolithic period on Earth nearly 50000 years ago.Comet E3 ZTF is a long-period comet that originated in the Oort cloud. It was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in 2022 in early March, NASA revealed. It passed closest to Earth a couple of days ago and was even witnessed in the sky in Abu Dhabi between 05:01 to 05:36 UAE on January 14. Astronomers estimate this comet will come within roughly 26 million miles of Earth on February 1.How to watch the Comet ZTFWhile the green comet will be visible to the naked eye on February 1, there are some preconditions to be able to watch it. You need to be in an area with relatively low light pollution and clear sky. This means that people living in big cities might not be able to see the comet directly or with the. Comet maps and mobile apps like Sky Map assist in locating the comet. Green comets, like the Green Comet, get their color from carbon and nitrogen compounds. Yellow The green comet will be highest in the night sky at . To locate the comet, look 45 degrees above your northern horizon. To locate the comet, look 45 degrees above your
A green comet will streak the sky near Earth for
I've read recent online news media posts about Comet ZTF with a mix of humor and alarm. All this talk about a rare, green comet streaking across the sky that was last seen by the Neanderthals.First, lots of comets are green — at least in the telescope. The color comes from carbon, which glows a striking aqua green when energized by the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light. The hue shows up beautifully in time exposure photographs, and it's occasionally visible in brighter comets when viewed through a telescope. But as far as the naked eye or even binoculars, it's a rare sight. My daughter and I share Comet Neowise together at dawn on a buggy July morning in 2020.Contributed / Bob King While it's true the comet last passed this way some 50,000 years ago, it's very unlikely any Homo sapiens or Neanderthals noticed it unless ZTF made an exceptionally close approach to Earth. This time around it passes relatively nearby but won't be bright in the traditional sense like Comets NEOWISE (in 2020) and Hale-Bopp (1997). With those, you could just step outside, allow a few minutes to get used to the dark and ba-boom — there they were!Comet ZTF is visible in binoculars right now but only from a reasonably dark sky with a minimum of light pollution. Through my 10x50s it's a small, fuzzy glow about 1/3 the size of the full moon with a brighter center and whiff of a tail pointing north. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) marches up the northern sky in the next two weeks. To find it, face north and use the labeled stars on the map to help point you to the comet. Brighter stars have proper names. Fainter ones bear letters of the Greek alphabet. In mid-January, ZTF is still low in the northeastern sky before midnight. But by the third week of January it will be easy to view during convenient evening hours. Contributed / Stellarium with additions by Bob King Through a 6-inch or larger telescope, the comet becomes increasingly more impressive. In my 15-inch scope it reveals a bright, dense core (called the nuclear region) buried in a fuzzy coma that sprouts a lovely, fan-shaped tail. No color is visible. At least for now, Comet ZTF is still too faint to see without optical aid, but as you'll learn, that may change later this month. Observers estimate its currentGreen Comet 2025: Find It in the Sky!
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks also called the Devil's Comet. Photo taken from Moclinejo, Málaga, Andalusia, ... [+] South of Spain.gettyHave you seen the comet? Visible right now after sunset in the west, comet Pons-Brooks—also known as 12P/Pons-Brooks—is about to reach its brightest and best – but it won’t last long.In fact, if you want to see it, you’d better get looking as soon as you can because the ball of rock and ice is about to depart from the northern sky.‘Devil Comet’Arriving in the wake of comet 2022 E3 (ZTF)—the so-called “green comet”—and 2020’s comet NEOWISE, it had been hoped that Pons-Brooks would be something of a “comet of the decade” and possibly be seen during totality at the recent total solar eclipse.That would have required an unpredictable outburst in brightness, something it had been observed to do back in July 2023 when its nucleus unexpectedly brightened. The halo of material around it expanded to possibly block some of it from view, causing a weird horned shape, earning it the nickname “devil comet.”How to find the comet during its perihelion this Sunday, April 21, 2024. StellariumPost-Sunset TargetHowever, despite not becoming a naked-eye object, the comet nevertheless makes a lovely target for anyone with binoculars. What’s more, it’s visible immediately after sunset.Comet Pons-Brooks is not particularly easy to find. This weekend, it reaches its perihelion—the closest it gets to the sun—causing it to look as bright as it will get. It will then make its closest approach to Earth on June 2.However, since it’s sinking lower towards the western horizon in the post-sunset night sky, it’s best to glimpse it before it’s too late.Gianluca Masi's images of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from the Virtual Telescope Project facility in ... [+] Italy.Gianluca Masi/Virtual Telescope Project (www.virtualtelescope.eu)How To Find The CometYou’ll need a clear sky, a view. Comet maps and mobile apps like Sky Map assist in locating the comet. Green comets, like the Green Comet, get their color from carbon and nitrogen compounds. Yellow The green comet will be highest in the night sky at . To locate the comet, look 45 degrees above your northern horizon. To locate the comet, look 45 degrees above yourTHE GREEN COMET - Adirondack Sky Center and
An astrophotographer has put together an awesome timelapse video of the green comet that passed through the solar system this past month. Consisting of 521 images that were captured over the course of 10 hours and with the total file size coming to one terabyte of data, the video charts the long-traveling comet’s journey as it passed by Earth. The stunning comet with a long ion tail left the solar system this week and won’t be back again for another 50,000 years. Officially known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), Miguel Claro imaged the comet from the Dark Sky Alqueva observatory in Portugal which gets an average of 286 clear nights each year. “We have to keep shooting night after night and after a while, it starts to get tough,” says Claro. “Plus the fact that we have an increasingly huge amount of data to process which is normally done during the day….so, we don’t get left much free time to sleep.” The green comet from Claro’s timelapse videe The timelapse video reveals the key moments of the comet’s activity, including when the comet’s tail disconnected on January 18. “A piece of the plasma tail was uprooted from the comet’s head, and then carried away by the solar wind,” explains Claro. “But ZTF didn’t stop surprising us and also began to reveal a rare anti-tail which gradually changed the angle position while our planet Earth was crossing the orbital plane of the comet.” The long-distance traveler was moving fast against the starry sky background and Claro also captured a few rapid meteors crossing the field of view, as well as the moment when ZTF crossed close to a few galaxies. “The comet was photographed late in the night in all the sessions, starting at a distance of 90.7 million miles (146.1 millionComments
This photo provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Dec. 19. It last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. (Dan Bartlett via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A comet is streaking back our way after 50,000 years.The dirty snowball last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It will come within 26 million miles of Earth Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.So do look up, contrary to the title of the killer-comet movie “Don’t Look Up.”Discovered less than a year ago, this harmless green comet already is visible in the northern night sky with binoculars and small telescopes, and possibly the naked eye in the darkest corners of the Northern Hemisphere. It’s expected to brighten as it draws closer and rises higher over the horizon through the end of January, best seen in the predawn hours. By Feb. 10, it will be near Mars, a good landmark.Skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere will have to wait until next month for a glimpse.Graphic showing location of the green cometWhile plenty of comets have graced the sky over the past year, “this one seems probably a little bit bigger and therefore a little bit brighter and it’s coming a little bit closer to the Earth’s orbit,” said NASA’s comet and asteroid-tracking guru, Paul Chodas.Green from all the carbon in the gas cloud, or coma, surrounding the nucleus, this long-period comet was discovered last March by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility, a wide field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. That explains its official, cumbersome name: comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).On Wednesday, it will hurtle between the orbits
2025-03-2820, and just 1% illuminated on Sunday, Jan. 22, so those also could be good viewing nights or mornings in addition to Saturday.Find a dark location“New Jersey has lots of light pollution, so you’ll be wanting to find a place with the darkest skies,” Gallagher said. “Binoculars or a telescope may help you. But then, at some points, we’re going to have the moon in the sky, and that washes out dim objects too.”AccuWeather says the comet “will drift across the night sky throughout January, eventually meeting up with the constellation Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Dipper. The constellation will serve as a reference point, making it easier to spot Comet ZTF during the final nights of January.”If you’re looking for more specific details on which area of the sky to focus on, these two astronomy websites offer helpful maps:A recently discovered comet known as Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible from Earth in January and February 2023, experts say. The green comet is expected to get brighter during the final weeks of January, but some experts say a telescope or binoculars may be needed to get the best view of this cosmic snowball.The Saginaw News | MLive.comTips for taking photos of the cometFor stargazers who are interested in taking photos of the rare comet, here are a few helpful tips from Astronomy.com:Use a tripod, set your camera to manual mode and use a remote release or time-delay for the shutter so you don’t jostle the image.Focus on a bright star, the moon or the comet itself.Set your aperture to the widest value, the lowest f-number.Set the ISO between 400 and 800 for bright comets, and higher for fainter ones.Experiment with exposure times, usually 15 seconds or less to avoid stars turning into lines.Thank you for relying
2025-04-17Update: The Green Comet (c/2022 e3 ZTF) otherwise known as Comet ZTF is currently traveling away from Earth and out of our solar system, never to return again. Your last (and best) chance to catch a glimpse will be on February 10. The full Moon will interfere until that time. (See below.)Learn more about upcoming sky events in our February Night Sky Guide.Published on January 12, 2023:Newly-discovered Comet ZTF is coming the closest to the Earth in 50,000 years, becoming visible to the unaided eye, and making big headlines. Some are calling it a “super rare” and “bright green” comet, but will it live up to the hype? We explain.Comet ZTF FactsComet ZTF was discovered in March 2022 by a wide field survey camera attached to a telescope known as Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in Southern California (overseen by the Planetary Society). ZTF scans the entire northern sky every two days and captures hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies in a single shot. Many comets have been found with this instrument. The most recent is catalogued as Comet c/2022 e3 ZTF, Comet ZTF for short.Why Is It Rare?Over the last 50,000 years, Comet ZTF has travelled a distance of 2.8 trillion miles and will make its closest approach to the Earth on Feb 1, 2023 (a distance of 26 million miles), according to Dan Bartlett/NASA. Orbital computations suggest that Comet ZTF may never return again.What Makes ZTF A Green Comet?The greenish color is likely due to a molecule made from two carbon atoms bonded together, called dicarbon. This unusual chemical process is confined chiefly to the head, not the tail. If you get a look at Comet ZTF, that greenish hue is likely to be quite faint (if it is visible at all). The appearance of green comets due to dicarbon is fairly uncommon.Recent images show the head (coma) appearing to be distinctly green and trailed by an impressively long thin blush appendage (the tail). But that is what a camera taking a long exposure sees. The tint will look much less green to the
2025-04-19It's fair to say this is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often.For the first time in some 50,000 years, a green comet has this month been making a fly-by past Earth - and your best chance to spot it has now arrived.Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has been already visible through binoculars and telescopes, but will look so bright on Wednesday and Thursday night that you could be able to see it with the naked eye.Here's how to make sure you have a spectacular view.What time should you be on the lookout?The first two nights of February were earmarked as the best time to see the comet because that's when it will be closest to the Earth - a mere 28 million miles away.It means it will be visible from both the northern and southern hemisphere.Dr Greg Brown, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, tells Sky News that those in the UK should wait until after midnight for the optimal view."In northern latitudes, like the UK, this part of the sky is low above the horizon early in the evening at this time, so waiting until after midnight, when it is much higher, is your best bet," he says. "The comet is at its brightest about now and will quickly drop in brightness as it starts to move away from us." Image: The comet seen from Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, in mid-January Where should you be looking?The comet has travelled through the Corona Borealis, Bootes, Draco, and Ursa Minor constellations on its way to Camelopardalis the giraffe.But you might be best served looking roughly halfway between Ursa Major and Minor, the two bears, Dr Brown says.If that has you scratching your head, you might want to consider a stargazing app like Night Sky or SkyView to help locate the constellations.By pointing your smartphone's camera up at the night sky, such apps will use augmented reality to tell you which constellations you're looking at and offer tips on how to spot comets.As for your location on the ground, Dr Brown suggests a place with "minimal light pollution".He adds: "Beyond that, as long as your sky is clear and you have a view of the part of the sky the comet is in, you should have a good chance." Image: As seen from the Pico de las Nieves, Gran Canaria And I don't need any extra equipment?C/2022 E3 (ZTF) falls just
2025-04-10An extremely rare comet was visible during dawn in the sky above Abu Dhabi on January 14. Comets are of interest to scientists because they are remnants of the early Solar System, and can tell us about the conditions and composition of the early Solar System. When a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ice in the comet to turn into a gas, which surrounds the nucleus of the comet in a bright coma. The gas and dust in the coma form a bright tail that always points away from the Sun.When these comets pass by Earth, they are seen as glowing balls in the sky with a faintly lit tail. Although comets periodically pass by Earth, the expected flyby of a recent, rare green comet has excited scientists and skywatchers around the world as it has come back for the first time in nearly 50000 years! And it may never do so again!What is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?Although comets often make close flybys, the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is particularly special as it has a period of around 50000 years. That means the last time it flew past Earth closely, it was seen by Neanderthals during the Upper Paleolithic period on Earth nearly 50000 years ago.Comet E3 ZTF is a long-period comet that originated in the Oort cloud. It was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in 2022 in early March, NASA revealed. It passed closest to Earth a couple of days ago and was even witnessed in the sky in Abu Dhabi between 05:01 to 05:36 UAE on January 14. Astronomers estimate this comet will come within roughly 26 million miles of Earth on February 1.How to watch the Comet ZTFWhile the green comet will be visible to the naked eye on February 1, there are some preconditions to be able to watch it. You need to be in an area with relatively low light pollution and clear sky. This means that people living in big cities might not be able to see the comet directly or with the
2025-04-15I've read recent online news media posts about Comet ZTF with a mix of humor and alarm. All this talk about a rare, green comet streaking across the sky that was last seen by the Neanderthals.First, lots of comets are green — at least in the telescope. The color comes from carbon, which glows a striking aqua green when energized by the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light. The hue shows up beautifully in time exposure photographs, and it's occasionally visible in brighter comets when viewed through a telescope. But as far as the naked eye or even binoculars, it's a rare sight. My daughter and I share Comet Neowise together at dawn on a buggy July morning in 2020.Contributed / Bob King While it's true the comet last passed this way some 50,000 years ago, it's very unlikely any Homo sapiens or Neanderthals noticed it unless ZTF made an exceptionally close approach to Earth. This time around it passes relatively nearby but won't be bright in the traditional sense like Comets NEOWISE (in 2020) and Hale-Bopp (1997). With those, you could just step outside, allow a few minutes to get used to the dark and ba-boom — there they were!Comet ZTF is visible in binoculars right now but only from a reasonably dark sky with a minimum of light pollution. Through my 10x50s it's a small, fuzzy glow about 1/3 the size of the full moon with a brighter center and whiff of a tail pointing north. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) marches up the northern sky in the next two weeks. To find it, face north and use the labeled stars on the map to help point you to the comet. Brighter stars have proper names. Fainter ones bear letters of the Greek alphabet. In mid-January, ZTF is still low in the northeastern sky before midnight. But by the third week of January it will be easy to view during convenient evening hours. Contributed / Stellarium with additions by Bob King Through a 6-inch or larger telescope, the comet becomes increasingly more impressive. In my 15-inch scope it reveals a bright, dense core (called the nuclear region) buried in a fuzzy coma that sprouts a lovely, fan-shaped tail. No color is visible. At least for now, Comet ZTF is still too faint to see without optical aid, but as you'll learn, that may change later this month. Observers estimate its current
2025-04-24