Discovered in March 2022, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will fly past Earth at a maximum distance of 42 million kilometers on Wednesday, February 1, and will be visible to the naked eye in areas with little light pollution, but binoculars or a telescope are recommended for better observation .
The trajectory of the comet is between the Big Wheel constellation and the North Star. Astronomers believe that the length of the comet’s gas tail will reach the “cup” of the Big Wheel.
Another favorable night for observing the comet will be on February 10, when it will approach Mars.
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) last flew close to Earth 50,000 years ago. This comet was discovered in March 2022 at the Palomar Observatory in California as the comet flew past Jupiter. The diameter of the comet is estimated to be about one kilometer.
