There is so much of the universe to explore; space enthusiasts and stargazers always look for an opportunity to discover its marvels using their tools or even with their naked eyes. According to the American space agency and NASA, a once-in-a-50-millenia green comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will make its closest approach to the Sun and Earth in January and early February 2023.
The comet has not been seen in the past 50,000 years, as per Space.com; the last time it moved past the Earth’s sky, humans were still in the Stone Age! As it nears Earth, observers will be able to spot it near the bright star Polaris, also called the North Star. The comet should be visible through binoculars in the morning sky for sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere during most of January, and those in the Southern hemisphere in early February; according to NASA.
It is worth mentioning that “comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When frozen, they are the size of a small town. When a comet’s orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets. The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away from the Sun for millions of miles. There are likely billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud,” according to NASA.
Banner Image Credit and Copyright: Dan Bartlett