A photographer captured a photo of a green comet as it lost parts of its after passing in a warmer region in the inner solar system.


Watch Green Comet Loses Its Tail

Astrophotographer Michael Jäger shared a snap of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Tuesday after driving 500 miles from Austria to Bavaria in Germany in hopes of having a clear view of the night sky.

According to him, the weather in Central Europe was terrible, so he decided to travel, hoping to capture the green comet, and he wasn't disappointed.

In an email to Space.com, Jäger said his trip wasn't wasted after getting clear videos and images of the green comet. He even captured the moment it reached a warmer region, resulting in the comet losing part of its tail.

Many were impressed with his photos, and some were concerned if the comet would have its tail back or if the disconnection of the tail would affect the comet's speed.

 

ALSO READ: Saturn's Enceladus Engulfed by Thick Snow Drifts; Where Did This Icy Covering Come From?

Why Did The Green Comet Lose Part of its Tail

The photo captured by Jäger showed what astronomers called a disconnection event, which points to the weakening of the comet's signature tail. It appeared as if the tail was breaking off.

The disruption could be due to turbulent space weather like strong solar wind released during a coronal mass ejection (CME).

SpaceWeather confirmed that the green comet's tail had been pinched off and was carried away by the solar wind. The outlet noted that when CMEs hit comets, they can either cause magnetic reconnection in comet tails or rip them entirely.

Multiple CMEs hit Comet ZTF this month as it flyby Earth. There has been a surge of solar activities in the past few days; eight sunspots were reported traversing the Sun's Earth-facing disk. More CMEs are expected to occur as the comet traverses closer to the planet.

More About Comets

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in California in March 2022. It is making its first flyby to Earth in about 50,000 years.

It is expected to be visible to the naked when it reaches its closest distance to Earth on Feb. 1. It will pass the planet at about one-quarter the Earth-Sun distance.

According to Northwestern University, a comet called a "dirty snowballs" is a chunk from stars and planet formation billion years ago. Before flying around the sun, comets are big chunks of rocks floating around the Oort Cloud.

When the gravity from a large passing body is strong enough, it could pull the comet toward the Sun. As it approaches close to the Sun, the heat begins to melt some of the ice making up the comet, resulting in its gaseous tail. The Sun's solar wind pushes out the tail.

As it comes closer and closer to the Sun, it will move faster and faster because the gravity from the Sun acting on it is also becoming stronger. The comet's tail will grow in length since there will be more evaporation.

However, a solar storm could reconnect or rip the comet's tail, as mentioned above.

RELATED ARTICLE: Methane Plumes on Enceladus: Could the Saturn Moon Host Life?

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