Rare green comet to be seen with the naked eye this week

According to NASA, a rare green comet called C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will approach Earth on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. It will fly within 42 million kilometers of our planet. Residents of the southern hemisphere will be able to see the object with the naked eye if the sky is clear. In the northern latitudes, the celestial body will partly appear in the morning sky on February 1.

It is reported that this will be the second "visit" of the comet to us. She already flew past the Earth in the time of the Neanderthals - 50 thousand years ago. And the next time it will rush by only after millions of years, according to NASA.

The comet was first noticed astronomers in March 2022. Then she was in orbit around Jupiter. Since then, this celestial body has become much brighter.

“Comets are notoriously unpredictable, but if C/2022 E3 (ZTF) maintains its current brightness, it should be easy to see with binoculars. And it is quite possible that in the dark, even with the naked eye, ”- says on the NASA blog.

It will be possible to find it in the sky using stargazing applications, for example, Star Walk 2 And Sky Tonight. Websites such as theskylive.com And astro.vanbuitenen.nl, which track and show the position of comets in space. But here it is necessary to search for the necessary information in advance.

And if you yourself are versed in astronomy, then on the night of February 1-2, watch the constellation Giraffe, through which the green comet will fly.