Bright Green Comet Last Seen 50,000 Years Ago Will Pass by the Sun and Earth This Year

A newly found comet will pay Earth a visit in early 2023, and it may be brilliant enough to be seen with the naked eye. It was discovered less than a year ago and has been traveling from its origin at the edge of the Solar System.

Space.com reported that comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is now traveling through the inner Solar System. It will reach its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, on January 12, and then speed past Earth, making its closest passage between February 1 and 2.

About C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered in March 2022 by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility when it passed through Jupiter's orbit, according to NASA.

It's a long-period comet thought to be from the Oort Cloud, the most remote portion of Earth's solar system. This region's inner boundary is considered to be between 2,000 and 5,000 astronomical units (AUs) from the Sun or between 186 billion and 465 billion miles.

That means C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Earth and the last time it passed by was estimated to be about 50,000 years ago when Neanderthals were still alive.

The space agency said that the most known long-period comets have only been recorded once in history due to their long orbital periods. One recent comet of this type is the C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring), which visited the inner Solar System and passed by near Mars in 2014. NASA said that it will not return until about 740,000 years.

Astronomer Jessica Lee told Newsweek that comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could be in a similar situation as it will not return for at least 50,000 years. Some predictions suggest that the comet is so eccentric that it is no longer in an orbit so it might not be coming back and just keep going.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Can Be Visible in the Naked Eye

The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet, which boasts a vivid greenish coma and a "short wide" dust tail, will now make its closest approach to the Sun on January 12. On February 2, it will reach its closest approach to Earth.

CBS News reported that astronomer Dan Bartlett managed to capture a photo of the comet from his home in California last December. He saw an "intricate tail structure" in the comet's plasma tail, and "conditions are improving," he added.

Current projections estimate that the comet will reach at least magnitude +6, which is roughly the limit of what the human eye can see, or perhaps even significantly brighter by the time it makes its closest approach to Earth at approximately 26 million miles on February 1.

NASA said that observers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the comet in the morning sky as it moves in the northwest direction this month. But it will be visible to the Southern Hemisphere in early February 2023.

The space agency added that the observers should look for the comet when it is a new Moon, which gives more opportunity for them to see it as long as the weather permits it.

Check out more news and information on Comet in Science Times.