Green comet current location

This photo provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Dec. 19. It last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. (Dan Bartlett via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A comet is streaking back our way after 50,000 years.The dirty snowball last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It will come within 26 million miles of Earth Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.So do look up, contrary to the title of the killer-comet movie “Don’t Look Up.”Discovered less than a year ago, this harmless green comet already is visible in the northern night sky with binoculars and small telescopes, and possibly the naked eye in the darkest corners of the Northern Hemisphere. It’s expected to brighten as it draws closer and rises higher over the horizon through the end of January, best seen in the predawn hours. By Feb. 10, it will be near Mars, a good landmark.Skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere will have to wait until next month for a glimpse.Graphic showing location of the green cometWhile plenty of comets have graced the sky over the past year, “this one seems probably a little bit bigger and therefore a little bit brighter and it’s coming a little bit closer to the Earth’s orbit,” said NASA’s comet and asteroid-tracking guru, Paul Chodas.Green from all the carbon in the gas cloud, or coma, surrounding the nucleus, this long-period comet was discovered last March by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility, a wide field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. That explains its official, cumbersome name: comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).On Wednesday, it will hurtle between the orbits

I've read recent online news media posts about Comet ZTF with a mix of humor and alarm. All this talk about a rare, green comet streaking across the sky that was last seen by the Neanderthals.First, lots of comets are green — at least in the telescope. The color comes from carbon, which glows a striking aqua green when energized by the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light. The hue shows up beautifully in time exposure photographs, and it's occasionally visible in brighter comets when viewed through a telescope. But as far as the naked eye or even binoculars, it's a rare sight. My daughter and I share Comet Neowise together at dawn on a buggy July morning in 2020.Contributed / Bob King While it's true the comet last passed this way some 50,000 years ago, it's very unlikely any Homo sapiens or Neanderthals noticed it unless ZTF made an exceptionally close approach to Earth. This time around it passes relatively nearby but won't be bright in the traditional sense like Comets NEOWISE (in 2020) and Hale-Bopp (1997). With those, you could just step outside, allow a few minutes to get used to the dark and ba-boom — there they were!Comet ZTF is visible in binoculars right now but only from a reasonably dark sky with a minimum of light pollution. Through my 10x50s it's a small, fuzzy glow about 1/3 the size of the full moon with a brighter center and whiff of a tail pointing north. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) marches up the northern sky in the next two weeks. To find it, face north and use the labeled stars on the map to help point you to the comet. Brighter stars have proper names. Fainter ones bear letters of the Greek alphabet. In mid-January, ZTF is still low in the northeastern sky before midnight. But by the third week of January it will be easy to view during convenient evening hours. Contributed / Stellarium with additions by Bob King Through a 6-inch or larger telescope, the comet becomes increasingly more impressive. In my 15-inch scope it reveals a bright, dense core (called the nuclear region) buried in a fuzzy coma that sprouts a lovely, fan-shaped tail. No color is visible. At least for now, Comet ZTF is still too faint to see without optical aid, but as you'll learn, that may change later this month. Observers estimate its current

How to spot the new hyped rare green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in Perth skies from early FebruaryA new much-hyped rare green comet that hasn’t been seen for 50,000 years is passing through the inner solar system and could be visible in Perth in early February.The comet — named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) — was first sighted in March last year when it was already inside the orbit of Jupiter.According to NASA, E3 will make its closest approach to the Sun on January 12 and then pass closest to Earth on February 2.Comets are notoriously unpredictable, according to NASA scientists, but if E3 continues its current trend in brightness, it will be easy to spot with binoculars, and it could possibly become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies.However, the time when E3 is predicted to be at its best and brightest in the southern hemisphere is extraordinarily unlucky, as there also happens to be a full moon (February 5).Ray Pickard who runs the group Australian Meteor Reports had the following tips to combat disappointment in E3.First, not seen for 50,000 years just means it is from the outer parts of the solar system, Pickard wrote.Second, the comet is not well placed for those in Australia, by the time it is in Australian skies the full moon occurs, and this will make it almost impossible to see.Third, the comet is not very bright by the time it is high enough to see in Australia. Again the Moon will greatly impact

A rare green comet is slowly moving through the skies above Earth, including above India, after surviving its orbit around the Sun. Astrophotographers have successfully captured the comet in all its glory around the world. It is important to note that Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be 42 million kilometres from Earth, which is the closest it has been, as it continues its journey beyond the Solar System. As per the latest details, the rare green comet has been spotted in the skies above the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle.The rare green comet was hurtling between the orbits of Earth and Mars at a speed of approximately 2,07,000 kilometres per hour. People should note that comets mostly consist of ice coated with dark organic material. They are usually referred to as dirty snowballs that can provide important information about the solar system.They provide important clues that help to know more about the formation of our solar system so it is important to study comets. The rare green comet was seen recently from Ladakh.Rare Green Comet: Important DetailsResearchers have found out that the nucleus of the rare green comet is approximately 1.6 kilometres across and its tail extends millions of kilometres in the vacuum of space.It is important to note that the comet isn't likely to be as bright as Neowise which was seen in 2020 or Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the mid to late 1990s.The comet is green from all the carbon in the gas cloud or coma around the nucleus. One should note that this long-period comet was first discovered last March by astronomers. They used the Zwicky Transient Facility, which is a wide-field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, to discover the comet.Scientists have done their orbital calculations and they are certain that the comet was last seen 50,000 years ago. The last time this rare green comet was seen, modern humans were yet to evolve.The comet is likely to brighten as it comes closer and rises higher over the horizon by the end of January. These are all the latest details about the comet you must know if you are interested in watching it. The comet will be near Mars by 10 February.(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news and world Topics: Solar System