Delhi, Jan 22: For the first time in 50,000 years, a Green comet from the outer solar system will pass close to Earth in the coming days. We can be the last human to ever witness the green comet.
The comet has been progressively turning brighter and could get close to Earth on February 2 when it is 110 times farther away than the moon at a distance of 26.4 million miles.
It’s possible to see the comet with the naked eye from the Northern Hemisphere.
Astronomers have from time to time mentioned comets as “dirty snowballs” because of their clusters of frozen gases and dust.
The majority are thought to have come from the frigid, far limits of the solar system, where gravitational agitations occasionally pushed them in the direction of the sun, changing them into beautiful cosmic marvels.
According to research, the comet orbits the sun every 50,000 years or so, which implies that the last time it passed by, Neanderthals were still roaming the planet and humans had only recently begun to emigrate from Africa.
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What is the name of the green comet?
The comet is called C/2022 E3 (Z.T.F.) as it become observed in March 2022 by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility telescope on Palomar Mountain in California (or Z.T.F.).
When will you spot the green comet?
The comet could be close to Draco, the dragon-shaped constellation that lies between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, on January 21, the night of the new moon and hence the darkest skies. Then in early February, the comet will be visible in the Southern Hemisphere.
Comet brightness is highly variable. The object’s potential for Earth visibility was all that astronomers understood when they originally found it last year.
Dr. O’Rourke stated that each comet is a separate living being and that it is impossible to predict how it will respond until it crosses the sun.
