Listen here:
Head outside before the sun comes up and look to the Northwest for a faint green glow on the horizon – that’s the memorably named new Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) – and dark desert skies along with an orbit that brings it close to earth means you’ll be able to spot it with the naked eye.
The comet may be visible now – but astronomers at NASA say that on February 1st its expected to reach its closest proximity to earth, a mere 26.4 millions miles away – giving you the best chance to spot this once-in-a-lifetime visitor to our solar system.
Although the nascent celestial body is new to us – earth inhabitants have possibly seen this particular comet before, but it was most likely more than 10,000 years ago. The comet will continue ejecting dust and gas as it intersects earth’s orbit, giving it that unearthly green glow – but after early February you’ll have to head south of the equator to catch the comet as it continues on its trajectory out of our solar system..
Links:
https://www.space.com/comet-2022-e3-ztf-possible-naked-eye-visibility-2023
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147685424/comet-green-january-e3-ztf-nasa
