Experts point to February. 1 or 2, the comet will make its closest pass to Earth, the best time, but – with binoculars or a telescope – you can probably see it already.
Comets are large bodies of dust and ice. They orbit the sun in elliptical paths, speeding up as they approach perihelion (an object’s closest passage to the sun) and slowing down slightly as they retreat to the far reaches of the Solar System.
Each comet has its own period or the time it takes to complete an orbit and start a new one. Short-period comets may pass by the sun once every 200 years or less. The comets in question do not travel very far in the solar system (usually only kuiper beltor a region just beyond Neptune) and start their return trips more quickly.
Other “long-period” comets may take 250,000 years to revisit the center of the Solar System. These bold objects operate on orbits that take them to the far edges of the system—often 50,000 times farther than short-period comets. These long-period comets form the Oort cloud, or cometary debris at the edges of the solar system.
A comet’s frozen core, known as the nucleus, is usually less than 10 miles across. This is roughly the size of a small city or the volume of a single very large mountain.
Comets heat up as they approach the sun. This causes some of the ice to melt gas As the gas escapes from the comet, it can also carry dust with it. The gas/dust combination engulfs the comet’s nucleus in a cloud known as a “coma,” which then flows out in a gently arcing tail.
The second wake, known as the “ion tail,” is always directly away from the sun because of the “solar wind,” which is due to ultraviolet solar radiation that causes electrons to jump out of coma.
What’s up with Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered on March 2, 2022 by two astronomers. They used the Zwicky Transient Facility, an ultrasensitive camera attached to the Samuel Oshin Telescope at Palomar Observatory in California’s Palomar Mountains.
At the time, it was too dim in size to be seen with the naked eye (or even with ordinary telescopes). By November, it had brightened almost to the point of being visible through dark areas to the highest quality binoculars. It has been determined to have a period of about 50,000 years.
C2 or diatomic carbon (two carbon atoms bonded together) is thought to be present at the comet’s head. When excited by incoming solar radiation, it emits photons (packets of light) at wavelengths that we see as green.
Where was he all this time?
In a land far, far away. Until comets approach Earth and humanity’s most light-sensitive technology becomes bright enough to see a “new” unknown object in the night sky, we simply cannot report their existence.
A quick look at the comet from Central Virginia this morning. 150″ exposure time – shot between breaks in clouds. Chances of seeing this with the naked eye increase significantly over the next week!
C/2022 E3 ZTF
Cannon RP, 400 mm
Mineral, VA 1/21/23 5:30am pic.twitter.com/f4aSi2Tb9t— Peter Forister ❄️💨❄️ (@forecaster25) January 21, 2023
Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere can look north in late January or early February. However, the comet’s peak is estimated to be slightly brighter than magnitude 6, which astronomers call “faint.” The waxing crescent moon, which will reach full zenith in February, will make this difficult. 5.
If you hope to catch a glimpse of its remote and silent majesty, find a dark place isolated from the city lights. Binoculars will probably do the trick, but you’ll also need some patience. A telescope would provide the clearest view.
Dark skies due to the new moon this weekend may allow viewing opportunities, but probably not with the naked eye.
In a few weeks, the comet will disappear from our sky as seen – with little noise. The comet’s trajectory was estimated to have a period of 50,000 years. However, there are simulations that show it will “escape” the solar system and overcome the sun’s gravity, which may mean it will never return, or at least not be visible to millions of people. years.
