The green comet has been lighting up its glow in the night sky as it gets closer to Earth. The comet that last visited the Earth 50 thousand years ago is a few days away from reaching perigee, which is the closest point it will be to us and can be seen with the naked eye in the sky, but to better enjoy the spectacle astronomical here you can find a list of curiosities about the green comet.
Curiosities about the green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
1. Perigee and better views
Since November of last year the comet approached the Sun and lit up its comatose tail, at that time including the trail left by its electrifying tail. But it won’t be until on February 2 that it reaches perigee and begins to be seen with the naked eye in the darkened sky, when placed just 42 million kilometers away.
2. The giraffe constellation
The green comet whose astronomical catalog name is C/2022 E3 (ZTF), also known as the giraffe constellation. This is very close to Auriga and the two Bears, so if you want to admire the green trail in the sky, you should turn north on the celestial map.
3. Not seen since the Stone Age
The The last time the green comet visited Earth was 52 thousand years ago, when our Neanderthal ancestors inhabited the planet during the Stone Age. According to astronomers, the comet’s orbit is now hyperbolic, although it is known that before approaching the inner Solar System, it was elliptical.
4. Viewed on February 11 and 12
After it experiences perigee on February 2 and is observed in the night sky with the naked eye, there will be another opportunity to see it. During perigee, the green comet could be eclipsed by the brightness of the Moon as it heads toward its full phase that will occur on February 5.
After this C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will move away towards Mars, but it will be the February 11 and 12 when it passes close to the planet and presents us with another opportunity to look for it in the night sky.
5. Green kite
Unlike asteroids that are made of cosmic rock, they are mostly formed by ice from the far reaches of the Solar System. As they approach the Sun, comets heat up, converting some of their surface ice into gas and releasing dust. This is what generates a cloud or coma that surrounds the nucleus and the accompanying dust tail, lighting it in electrifying green colors.
6. A complicated name but with an explanation
Comets get their names thanks to a classification by observers. The official name of the green comet is C/2022 E3 (ZTF), where the C means that it has an orbital period greater than 200 years. For its part, 2022 and E3 indicate the moment it was discovered; 2022 for having been seen for the first time in that year, E represents the first fortnight of month 3 (March). Finally, ZTF is the acronym for Zwicky Transient Facility, the observatory in California that discovered the comet.