Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, January 24 (Xinhua)-- A strange green comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF), which has not flown over Earth since the Paleolithic Age, is about to fly past Earth again after a lapse of 50, 000 years, with a distance of only 2700 million miles.

Image source: Chris Schur astronomers discovered comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) through the Zwicky Transient Facility device at the Paloma Observatory in California in March last year. Calculations show that it orbits the sun every 50, 000 years, which means it last skimmed the Earth in the Stone Age.

CTOnews.com learned that the comet, which comes from the Oort Cloud on the edge of the solar system, will be closest to Earth next Wednesday and Thursday, when it will pass by at a distance of 2.5 light minutes (light minutes), or 2700 million miles.

The following information comes from the network:

When will comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) be visible?

Comet ZTF can be seen now. Its magnitude is about 6, which is the limit of naked eye visibility. You may find blurred spots in a clear, dark sky. Optical devices will help a lot: telescopes will even allow you to see the tail of a comet. The comet passed perihelion on January 12 and is now moving out of the solar system and getting brighter. On February 1, 2023, Comet ZTF will pass through Earth at a distance of 0.28 astronomical units and reach its maximum brightness (about magnitude 5).

Where is Comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) observed?

Currently, comet ZTF can only be seen in the northern hemisphere. There, it is always above the horizon (arch comet). Comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) moves through the sky and "visits" different constellations. Read on to see when and where it will meet bright stars and planets. In northern latitudes, it climbs to the highest point of the sky before dawn. Observers in the southern hemisphere can only see the comet in early February 2023.

How to find comet C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) in the sky?

Comet ZTF is hard to see with the naked eye and hard to find itself, especially in the light-polluted urban sky. It is best to prepare and use useful tools in advance.

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