This comet will pass close to the Earth, it can be seen with the naked eye

FLORIDA – Early 2023 Land will be visited comet recently discovered and bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. The comet, designated C/2022 E3 (ZTF), appeared quite bright as it passed in front of the Sun and Earth in late January 2023.

The comet will approach the sun, or perihelion, on January 12. It will then cross the Earth by making its shortest distance, its perigee, between February 1 and 2.

If a comet continues to shine brightly, it can be seen with the naked eye in a dark sky. This is difficult for comets to predict, but if C/2022 E3 (ZTF) vanishes, it may still be visible with binoculars or a telescope for several days at close range.

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According to NASA, observers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to spot the comet in the morning sky as it moves in a northwesterly direction during January. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere in early February 2023.

Observers should look for C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as the moon dims in the sky, with the Jan. 21 new moon providing that opportunity, weather permitting. According to the Starlust website, the comet will be in the constellation Camelopardalis as it approaches.

“If you hope to observe C/2022 E3 (ZTF), use the best telescopes and binoculars. If you want to take pictures of the night sky, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best astrophotography cameras and best astrophotography lenses.

According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the comet has a period of about 50,000 years. That means before reaching about 160 million kilometers from the sun on January 12 and 42 million kilometers from the Earth on February 2.

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The comet last came this close during Earth’s Upper Paleolithic. This means that the last humans to see C/2022 E3 (ZTF) were the first homo sapiens who lived during the last glacial period or “ice age”.

At first it seemed that this comet was an asteroid, which at the time was inside the orbit of Jupiter. Then, it started to glow, so it was confirmed as a comet. At the time of its discovery, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) had a magnitude of 17.3, illuminated to magnitude 10 in November, and is expected to reach magnitude 6.

(wib)