- The comet originates from the Oort cloud, travels 50 thousand years.
- Will be at closest approach to Earth on February 1st.
CLEAR — A yellow-tailed green comet that visits Earth once every 50 thousand years, will be close overhead and visible to the naked eye.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will appear with a dazzling green tail because of the inorganic chemical diatomic carbon gas. According to In-The-Sky.org, the comet is currently passing through the northern skies and will reach its brightest magnitude in early February.
Discovered in March 2022 by astronomers Frank Masci and Bryce Bolin using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in California, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has been bright since November 2022. Astrophotographers are continuing to hunt for the best images.
The comet comes from the Oort cloud, the massive disc that surrounds our solar system and is 3.2 light years across. Its closest approach to Earth will be February 1. At that time the comet was near the celestial pole at a distance of 26 million miles.
Besides being green, the comet has a yellow dust tail and a faint ion tail. But the comet will get brighter as it approaches Earth, and was first seen on January 16.
If curious, use theskylive.com to find the comet’s location.
