Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the Wide Field Survey Camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022.
Dan Bartlett/NASA
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Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the Wide Field Survey Camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022.
Dan Bartlett/NASA
Welcome to a new NPR series spotlighting the people and things that make headlines—and the stories behind them.
Just For One Night! She meets C/2022 E3 (her friends call her the green kite for short).
Who is she? A potentially unprecedented celestial event. So swap out your typical blue evening light for a green light. It’s a connection to history and the galaxy that won’t try to sell you anything.
- C/2022 E3 is a comet marked by its bright green nucleus and long wispy ion tail.
- It was discovered in March 2022 and has been visible by telescope. But tonight, the comet is about to become more visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere as it passes.
- This could be the first time (or at least in thousands of years) that the comet will pass by the Earth. And you can watch!
Here is my first attempt to capture the “Green Comet”, comet c/2022 E3 (ZTF). This was a particular challenge due to the wet conditions and clouds, but I’m thrilled I was able to capture it! pic.twitter.com/t2VGEnfKX8
—Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) January 19, 2023
What is the problem? We know very little about C/2022 E3, but it appears that its long orbit takes it from the outer reaches of the solar system and then toward the sun, according to The Planetary Society.
- It was discovered at the Zwicky Transient Facility on Palomar Mountain in California by astronomers Bryce Bolin and Frank Masci.
- Tonight, we can see it from just 26.4 million miles away. That’s the closest it will get to Earth on its journey.
- This comet hasn’t been this close since the Paleolithic era. You will see the same colors in the sky as some little monsters long gone but never forgotten. like this friend.
What people say?
“If C/2022 E3 has ever passed through the solar system, it would have been last seen in the sky more than 10,000 years ago.”
— Jon Giorgini, senior analyst at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told NPR
“You can find the comet by looking south of the Big Dipper, near the constellation Camelopardalis. If you can find the North Star, then you can track directly south of that to that.”
— Bryce Bolin, one of the astronomers who discovered the comet, told the Washington Post
And now that? Your best bet to see the comet will be between Wednesday and Thursday, February 2. 1-2. The glow will be most visible against the night sky, but that can vary depending on how cloudy your region is.
- Viewers in the northern hemisphere may begin to see the comet’s faint glow in the morning sky. according to nasa. In the following days, the southern hemisphere may have a better chance at its turn.
- The comet can gain enough energy to leave our solar system, or it can remain tied to its elliptical orbit for another trip around the sun, Giorgini says.
- You can bask in the misty green glow and enjoy the comfort that even if Don’t file your taxes on timethe green comet will continue to fly around for many more years.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can look pretty dazzling in those NASA photos, but this is a closer idea of what you might see in the sky tonight. #Unfiltered
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can look pretty dazzling in those NASA photos, but this is a closer idea of what you might see in the sky tonight. #Unfiltered
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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