The engineer explained it. Majed Abu Zahra Sky observers in the Arab world are preparing for the best opportunity to spot the green comet on Saturday, February 11, 2023, about an hour after sunset, as it will be easy to find near Mars.
Mars has a luminosity between -0.2 and +0.4, and it is easily visible with the naked eye in its orange color, which means that it will provide a reference point for locating the comet (C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) coming from the outermost limits of our solar system
The comet (ZTF) has dimmed a lot in its brightness compared to the previous period and is now (+6.3) due to its rapid distance from Earth. It will appear near the Red Planet until February 14, after which it will begin to approach the constellation of Gemini (the mighty Orion the Hunter).
The observer will not need special equipment to see the comet. All he has to do is point the telescope towards Mars on the northeastern horizon at the beginning of the night. The comet will easily appear in the same field of vision as it will look like a blurry smudge. Through the five-inch telescope, it is easy to distinguish the comet’s nucleus and the green coma.
The comet’s green color is due to the fact that its nucleus releases diatomic carbon, a gaseous substance common in comets’ coma, which glows in near space under the influence of sunlight.
Here it must be clarified that the pictures of the comet via the Internet were taken using astronomical imaging equipment and are usually the result of a long exposure period and stacking the images together and processing them using a program dedicated to astrophotography, so the view through a telescope or binoculars will not be like those images.
This is an opportunity to see this comet before it leaves our solar system forever. According to measurements, it has a very elliptical orbit, so it is very easy for its orbit to disturb and thus make it leave our solar system forever.
Don’t miss the chance to watch…
Attached photo: Comet (ZTF) near Mars, as it will be seen through binoculars after sunset on Saturday and the beginning of the night.
