What is C/2022 E3 (ZTF)? How to spot green comet which returns after 50,000 years
Comet C/2022 E3 is set to zip past our planet at a distance of about 26.4 million miles (42.5 million km), which is an extremely rare green in appearance. What makes it more interesting is that it will appear 50,000 years after the age of the Neanderthals. If you are into stargazing, then you can differentiate it easily from the stars as you can observe a streaking trail of dust following the comet.
The comet has a greenish, emerald hue reflection to it because of its chemical composition. A clash between sunlight and carbon-based molecules, especially diatomic carbon and cyanogen, in the comet’s coma causes this effect. Moreover, the incredible shine is caused by UV radiation from the sun, which lights up the gases streaming off the comet’s surface.
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“We understand this as due to light emitted from carbon molecules ejected from the nucleus due to the increase in heat etc during its closest approach to the sun, which happened around 12 January,” says Professor Don Pollacco, from the department of physics at the University of Warwick. “Some comets approach the sun much closer and are completely evaporated by the intense radiation.”
What caused the comet to appear now?
Many astronomers believe that the comet that will appear on Wednesday, February 1, is the outcome of the ‘disconnection’ event it suffered due to turbulent space weather. According to SpaceWeather.com, “A piece of Comet ZTF's tail has been pinched off and is being carried away by the solar wind. CMEs hitting comets can cause magnetic reconnection in comet tails, sometimes ripping them off entirely.” CMEs are identified as large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that emerges from the sun's upper atmosphere, the corona. It then travels across the solar system and mingles with the atmospheres of planets and other bodies such as comets.
How can you see the green comet?
One can spot this rare comet sighting tonight if you could manage to find a space that is comparatively dark, and away from light pollution. The record shows that the comet was between the Big Dipper and Polaris, the North Star on Monday, January 30. And today it will appear near the constellation Camelopardalis, which is bordered by Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper, as per DailyMail.
Jake Foster, a Royal Observatory astronomer told the Guardian, "The comet is in the north of our skies, currently close to Polaris, the pole star directly due north. The comet is best viewed after midnight when it reaches its highest point in the sky."
