When a comet approaches the sun, the ice in its nucleus sublimes (Getty)
Scientists and enthusiasts await astronomical phenomena Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) passed this week the sunas it is the first time in 50,000 years, and it will be possible to see this newly discovered comet with the naked eye in late January.
The discovery of this small rocky and icy body, about a kilometer in diameter, dates back to March 2022, and was monitored by the Zwicky Transient Facility, which operates the Samuel-Oshin telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California, in the United States.
The comet was observed as it passed Jupiter’s orbit, and is currently on its way towards the sun and will come closest to it on Jan. 12, according to scientists’ calculations. astronomy.
Nicolas Biver of the Paris-BSL Observatory told AFP that the celestial body would therefore be at a distance from the sun about 10% greater than the distance that separates the Earth from it (about 150 million km).
When a comet approaches the sun, the ice in its nucleus sublimates, i.e. it passes from a solid state to a gaseous state, leaving a long trail of dust that reflects sunlight.
And this powder that looks like shiny hair is what you will be able to see from Land The closer the distance to the comet.
The comet reaches its peak brightness “when it’s closest to Earth,” said Caltech physics professor Thomas Prince, who works for ZTF.
However, this phenomenon will be less dramatic than the passage of comets Hale-Bopp in 1997 and New Wise in 2020, which are much larger.
The star can be seen easily with binoculars, and perhaps even with the naked eye during part of the night if lunar radiation is not strong and the sky is free of light pollution.
Astrophysicist Nicholas Beaver is hoping for a “nice surprise” that makes the comet’s brightness “twice as bright as expected”.
The best timeslot to observe the comet will probably be January 21 and 22 and the week after.
During this time the comet will pass between the constellations of the stars “Ursa Little” and “Ursa Major” before heading towards the southern hemisphere, then returning to the edge of the solar system, which is believed to be its home of main residence.
According to current models, comets come from two reservoirs: the Kuiper Belt behind the orbit of Neptune, or the Oort Cloud, a vast theoretical region located one light-year from the Sun, within the limits of the gravitational field.
“The tilt of its orbital chart suggests that it is a long-period comet originating from the Oort cloud,” Beaver explained.
It won’t be the first ice comet to pass close to the sun, as it already had a similar experience 50,000 years ago.
Then the comet returned in the opposite direction, but did not get as far as the Oort cloud. As for this time, chances are it will be “permanently removed from”. Solar system“.
Its last passage will be an opportunity for scientists to understand more about the formation of comets, provided by the observations achieved by the “James Webb” space telescope.
“We will monitor it from all angles. It is true that it is not the comet of the century, but we are happy to be able to monitor such comets every year or two, because we consider them traces of the formation of the solar system,” said Beaver.
As for Thomas Prince, he commented that this “rare visitor” would bring “information about the furthest part of the most distant planets in Earth’s solar system”.
(AFP)
