A newly discovered is scheduled to make its past Earth next month for a once-in-a-lifetime visit.
NASA reported the comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was discovered in March 2022 and has just soared past the sun. The bright green comet is expected to make its closest approach to Earth around Feb. 2.
“Comets are notoriously unpredictable, but if this one continues its current trend in brightness, it’ll be easy to spot with binoculars, and it’s just possible it could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies,” said a NASA statement. “Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will find the comet in the morning sky, as it moves swiftly toward the northwest during January. (It’ll become visible in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.) This comet isn’t expected to be quite the spectacle that Comet NEOWISE was back in 2020. But it’s still an awesome opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from the distant outer solar system.”
Photo: Dan Bartlett / NASA
