Today (9 January 23) Facebook page NARIT, National Institute for Astronomical Research. posted a message stating that There is a comet this time! The trend is so bright that it can be seen with the naked eye.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) recently discovered by astronomers. It will orbit closest to the sun (perihelion) on January 12, 2023. The comet is expected to have the most diffuse and brightest tail. and will approach the world between 1 and 2 February ’23
During this time, the comet will gradually increase in brightness. If the situation does not change It may be possible to observe this comet faintly with the naked eye. in the dark sky But because the brightness of comets is difficult to predict. because it changes continuously and many times the brightness of the comet continues to increase But in the end it wasn’t enough to be able to see with the naked eye, but there were many days to observe with binoculars. or telescopes in late January and early February
According to NASA Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to observe the comet in the early morning hours. which appears to move northwest in January The comet will then be visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.
The best time to view comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is on a day when the moon is not very bright (new moon or the moon appears in a thin crescent) in March 2023. The new moon falls on January 22 , so weather permitting. The sky is open and there are no clouds. A comet can be observed during that period in the constellation Giraffe. (Camelopardalis)
Data from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) show that comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has an orbital period of about 50,000 years, meaning the comet’s most recent orbit in the inner solar system. of the ancient Stone Age It corresponds to the time when the first humans (Neanderthals) lived on Earth during the Ice Age began.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility Wide-angle Telescope Network in early March. The object initially had an apparent brightness of 17.3, and astronomers assumed it was an asteroid. which while orbiting within the orbit of Jupiter before getting brighter until astronomers know it is a comet It has a brightness rating of 10 in Nov ’22 This comet is estimated to have a maximum brightness of 6.
**Note: Apparent magnitude is the value used to indicate the brightness of celestial objects. It is a quantity without units. The smaller the number, the brighter it will be. The higher the number, the less bright it will be.
Full moon = -12.7
Sirius (Sirius) = -1.3
Betelgeuse = 0.6
Orion Nebula (M42) = 4
>> The human eye sees the dimmer object with an apparent brightness grade of 6
A recent image of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) shows the coma, a gaseous dust layer surrounding the comet’s center. The comet’s coma glows green. and a long, faint comet tail
