SOLOPOS.COM – Comet illustration. (Freepik.com)
Solopos.com, SOLO-Researcher at the Space Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Andi Pangerang said that the rare comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is expected to pass near Earth on February 2, 2023 at 00.32 WIB at a distance of 42,472,000 km from Earth.
“When passing near the earth, this comet can be seen throughout Indonesia from February 1 at 18.30 to February 2 at 02.30 local time from the north near the Camelopardalis constellation,” Andi said as quoted from Between on Monday (16/1/2023).
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For DKI Jakarta and its surroundings, this rare comet reached its highest point at 21.53 WIB with an altitude of 11.9 degrees. When it reaches the closest point, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visible in the north direction with an altitude of 7.4 degrees for DKI Jakarta and its surroundings.
For region Indonesia East, the rare comet will set when it reaches its closest point to Earth. The comet’s brightness when it passes near the earth reaches +4.94 so that comets can be observed using the naked eye for very low light polluted areas in rural areas to light in rural areas.
Meanwhile, for moderately light polluted areas in suburban/suburban areas to high in urban/urban areas it is quite difficult to observe comets with the naked eye. Andi said comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) only passed once in its lifetime due to its hyperbolic orbit.
A hyperbolic orbit is an orbit that has an eccentricity value greater than one, so that it forms an open curve at both foci. Compare this with a parabolic orbit, which has an elliptical orbit of 0-1.
“It’s a bit different from the narratives circulating, mainly related to the comet period which is thought to have last appeared during the Neanderthal era or 260,000 years ago,” said Andi.
However, according to him, the period of the rare comet named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) cannot be determined even though its daily motion can be determined. That’s because the shape of the orbit is hyperbolic so that there are two vanishing points that are located at infinity.
“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 that this comet is thought to be an interstellar comet like oumuamua,” said Andi.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first observed on July 10, 2021. ZTF stands for Zwicky Transient Facility, which is the name of an astronomical observation facility with a wide field of view, which uses a camera connected to the Samuel Oschin telescope at the Palomar Observatory, California, United States.
On January 29, 2023, this rare comet will be seen twice, namely at midnight and at 23.00 local time. On January 30, 2023, the comet will rise at 21:00 local time from the north near the constellation Draco.
Meanwhile, on January 31, the comet will appear at 19.00 local time from the north near the constellation Camelopardalis.
The comet will reach its closest point to the Sun, or perihelion, on January 13 at 06.48.49 WIB at a distance of 166,387,000 km from the Sun. when it reaches perihelion, the comet has a magnitude of +6.72 so it cannot be observed with the naked eye.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be seen inland and rural areas from 02.30 to 05.30 local time January 16 from the northeast near the constellation Bootes. The maximum altitude reaches 30.7 degrees for DKI Jakarta and its surroundings.
The comet’s sunrise will be faster every day, and on January 29, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will rise around midnight in the north near the constellation Ursa Minor.
Until January 30, the comet can be seen until 05.30 local time in the north. Since January 31, the comet has set at 04.00 local time and the comet’s sunset time will be shorter each day.
Meanwhile, since February 1, the initial appearance of the comet has always occurred after sunset because the comet’s sunrise occurs before sunset.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be observed without using optical aids for outback and rural areas until February 13, from 18:30 to 01:00 local time from north to west near the constellation Taurus.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) culminates in a northerly direction at 19.00 local time with an altitude of 64.2 degrees for DKI Jakarta and its surroundings.
