A comet that is now visible in the sky with the right equipment may never fly past Earth again—but how can you spot it and where should you look?
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF)— an astronomical survey conducted by the Palomar Observatory in California—on March 2, 2022, and has been making waves due to predictions that it could become the first naked eye comet since NEOWISE zoomed by our planet in 2020.
The comet, which is currently located around 81 million miles from Earth, will reach its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, on January 12, 2023, before making a close approach to our planet on February 1, 2023, coming within roughly 26 million miles of us.
Comets are "cosmic snowballs" made up of frozen gases, dust and rock that orbit the sun. As they approach our star, these objects are blasted with increasing amounts of radiation, releasing gases and debris. This process forms a glowing atmosphere around the comet (known as a coma) and two vast tails of gas and dust.
Some predictions indicate that C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is on a type of orbit—one that looks like an open curve—that will see the cosmic snowball shoot back out into deep space and never return to the inner solar system again.
"We don't have an estimate for the furthest it will get from the Earth yet—estimates vary—but if it does return it won't be for at least 50,000 years," Jessica Lee, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, told Newsweek. "Some predictions suggest that the orbit of this comet is so eccentric it's no longer in an orbit—so it's not going to return at all and will just keep going," Lee said.
Either way, catching a glimpse of the comet will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While you could wait until the second half of January, when C/2022 E3 (ZTF) might become visible to the naked eye—this is not a given and will also depend on factors such as light pollution in your location—it may be possible to see the object now if you have a pair of good binoculars or a telescope.
Using this equipment, you may be able to spot the comet in the early hours of the morning before dawn as it passes through the constellation of Corona Borealis, although the bright light of the moon will hinder views.
For your best bet, try to look on a clear night from a dark site away from light pollution. The object will not be the easiest to spot, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the U.K. Royal Astronomical Society, told Newsweek.
The comet is traveling in the general direction of Polaris, the North Star, where we will find it in early February, by which time it should be visible throughout the night.
Astronomers think it may just about be visible to the naked eye by this point, provided there are good viewing conditions where you are, but predicting the brightness of comets is a notoriously difficult business.
If it ever does reach this brightness, the comet will likely fade below naked eye visibility by the second week of February. And by April it will be close to the sun in the sky and much fainter, so will be very hard to find even with a telescope.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
