Space Three Questions About Comet C2022 E3 Visible To The Naked Eye 50,000 Years After Its Last Near Pass

This week has been circled on the calendars of those interested in astronomy and the night sky. They have an appointment with comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a very rare celestial object, which will be visible to the unaided eye for the first time in 50,000 years, or during the Paleolithic era, when men were still purely hunter-gatherers.

It has been visible since Saturday, January 21, and it will remain so until the start of February. This comet is described by Franceinfo, along with instructions for avoiding its miss.

What is the origin of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)? The Californian observatory Palomar made the discovery of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on March 2, 2022. It has a diameter of one kilometer. According to astrophysicist Eric Lagadec on Twitter, she can be identified by the "hair in green, the tail of ionized gas in blue, and the tail of dust in white" that hangs in the sky.

Ice, rock, and dust make up its composition. The ice in a comet's nucleus sublimates as it approaches the Sun, converting from a solid state to a gaseous state without changing its composition, leaving a long trail of dust that reflects the Sun's light.

As Numerama reminds us, comet names must adhere to a very strict nomenclature. The "C" stands for "comet," but it also indicates that it does not revolve in a regular orbit around the Sun; the "E" stands for the time of its discovery in the year, i.e. 2022; and the "C" stands for the year of its discovery.

e. the first half of March, and the "3" indicates the order in which the discoveries were made during this time.

Finally, "ZTF" stands for "Zwicky Transient Facility," which is the name of the astronomical sky survey program that runs the Palomar Observatory telescope. According to Nicolas Biver, an astronomer at the Paris-PSL Observatory, "according to the inclination of the plane of its orbit, it would be a long-period comet originating initially from the Oort cloud.".

This vast theoretical region, along with the Kuiper comet reservoir, is one of two comet reservoirs that extend beyond Neptune's orbit. It is situated up to a light year from the Sun. , published in the magazine Sky and Space.

Ursa Minor is distinguished from the Big Dipper by its shape, which resembles a saucepan. The best recommendation is to use a pair of binoculars to scan the sky in this area.

We have a good chance of seeing it clearly because of the extremely dark sky. Eric Chapelle, an astronomy expert on Twitter, suggests setting up a pair of binoculars on Alkad (the star at the end of the Grande Casserole's handle), moving them, and then quickly locating three stars.

He continues, "Follow one of the sides of the triangle, and you should cross the comet.". Get out of the city and concentrate on places with minimal light pollution.

In order to observe the comet more effectively, it will also be necessary to wait until after the Moon has set or in the middle of the night, as the publication Ciel et Espace notes. Naturally, this assumes that the night sky is clear.

Additionally, the magazine has provided a list of 150 locations with the best viewing angles. According to Thomas Prince, a physics professor at the California Institute of Technology who works for ZTF, the comet's brightness will be at its highest "when it is closest to Earth.".

On February first, this should occur. This passage about 42 million kilometers from our planet may well be the last; the question is whether we will ever see it again.

The comet is not expected to return any time soon and will probably end up being "definitely ejected from the solar system", according to Nicolas Biver. With the help of the James Webb space telescope's observations in particular, his final visit will provide scientists with an opportunity to learn a little more about the make-up of comets.

"We're going to watch it from every angle. Although this is not the comet of the century, we are still pleased to be able to observe comets like these every one to two years because they are thought to be remnants of the solar system's formation, according to the astrophysicist from the Paris Observatory-PSL.

"The materials that are on its surface have remained a little 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it is of interest to many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information about the 'inhabitants' of our solar system far beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince. observe from every angle.

It's not the comet of the century, but we are happy to be able to observe comets like these every one or two years, because we consider them as remnants of the formation of the solar system", explains the astrophysicist from the Paris-PSL Observatory: "The materials on its surface have remained somewhat 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince. observe from every angle.

It's not the comet of the century, but we are happy to be able to observe comets like these every one or two years, because we consider them as remnants of the formation of the solar system", explains the astrophysicist from the Paris-PSL Observatory: "The materials on its surface have remained somewhat 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince. but we are happy to be able to observe comets like these every one or two years, because we consider them as vestiges of the formation of the solar system", explains the astrophysicist from the Paris Observatory-PSL.

"The materials that are on its surface have kind of been 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince. but we are happy to be able to observe comets like these every one or two years, because we consider them as vestiges of the formation of the solar system", explains the astrophysicist from the Paris Observatory-PSL.

"The materials that are on its surface have kind of been 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince. The materials that are on its surface have remained somewhat 'in the freezer' for billions of years.

As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne. This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince.

The materials that are on its surface have remained somewhat 'in the freezer' for billions of years. As a result, it interests many astronomers", abounds Jean-Luc Dauvergne.

This "rare visitor" will bring "information on the 'inhabitants' of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets", adds Thomas Prince.

It's not the comet of the century, but we are happy to be able to observe comets like these every one or two years, because we consider them as remnants of the formation of the solar system", explains the astrophysicist from the Paris-PSL Observatory: "The materials on its surface have remained somewhat 'in the freezer' for billions of years.