Comet discovered last spring C/2022 E3 ZTF approaches Earth and will approach the minimum close distance of 0.28 AU. and. in early February. When it reaches its maximum brightness, it will be visible to the naked eye. Meanwhile, it can be observed in an amateur telescope.
An Austrian astrophotographer has captured a space visitor from the village of Martinsberg with his 300mm telescope.
A cometary tail, as a rule, consists of plumes of dust and ions. When the object is too far away, the double structure is not easily distinguishable, but it is clearly visible in the resulting image.
A more diffuse plume consists of dust particle emissions, and a narrow beam of light consists of gas emissions. Due to the fact that the solid particles of the comet nucleus are heavier than the gas, they are less affected by the solar wind and follow the orbit of the comet, repeating its path. And the gas molecules ionized by the sun are blown away by the solar wind.
