This green comet last fell to earth in the time of the Neanderthals.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAPE CANAVERAL — A comet hurtling towards Earth after 50 thousand years. Discovered less than a year ago, this harmless green comet is already visible in the northern night sky with binoculars and small telescopes.
The United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) stated that this meteor last visited during the Neanderthal era. Now he will come within 42 million kilometers of Earth on Wednesday (1/2/2023), before speeding up again and not being able to return for millions of years.
The comet will hurtle between the orbits of Earth and Mars at a relative speed of 128,500 mph. Its core is estimated to be about 1.6 kilometers long, with its tail extending for millions of kilometers.
The comet is not expected to be as bright as Neowise in 2020 or Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the mid to late 1990s. But the comet will be bright because of its proximity to Earth.
“It allows scientists to do more experiments and the public to see beautiful comets,” said University of Hawaii astronomer Karen Meech.
If previously humans had to use tools to see the comet, maybe at its closest distance to Earth, it can already be seen with the naked eye in the darkest corners of the Northern Hemisphere. Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere will have to wait until next month to catch a glimpse.
The comet is expected to brighten as it approaches and climb higher above the horizon through late January, best seen in the early hours of the morning. On February 10, it will be near Mars.
While many comets have graced the sky over the last year, this one may seem a bit bigger. “Because it’s a little bit brighter and comes a little closer to Earth orbit,” said NASA comet and asteroid tracker Paul Choda.
The comet is green because of all the carbon in the gas cloud surrounding the nucleus. This object was discovered in March by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility or wide-field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. That fact explains its complicated official name: comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).
Scientists believe orbit calculations place the comet’s last swing through the solar system’s planetary environment 50,000 years ago. However, according to Chodas, they had no idea how close it came to Earth or whether it had even been seen by Neanderthals.
But, when this comet returns, it’s harder to judge. Every time a comet circles the sun and planets, its gravitational pull slightly changes its path. These conditions cause large changes in direction over time. Another condition is that jets of dust and gas flow from comets as they heat up near the sun.
“We don’t really know exactly how much they’re pushing this comet,” said the director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
The comet originates in the Oort Cloud far beyond Pluto. This frozen haven for comets is believed to extend more than a quarter of the way to the next star.
Even though comet ZTF originated in the solar system, humans cannot be sure it will remain in space forever. If removed from the solar system, this comet will never return.
Don’t worry too if you miss it. “In the comet business, just wait for the next one because there are dozens. And the next one might be bigger, might be brighter, might be closer,” said Chodas.
