The green comet will appear in the night sky for the first time since the Stone Age

 The green comet will appear in the night sky for the first time since the Stone Age

This published image, obtained from NASA's website on January 6, 2022, shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) discovered by astronomers using a wide-field scanning camera at the Zwicky Transit Facility this year in early March. A newly discovered comet is currently imaging through our solar system for the first time in 50,000 years and could be visible to the naked eye as it passes away from Earth and the sun in the coming weeks, astronomers said. Having traveled from the icy tributaries on the edge of our solar system, it will approach the Sun on January 12 and pass closer to Earth on February 1.

A recently discovered green comet will launch close to Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. It was last visible in the night sky during the Stone Age.

The comet was discovered on March 2, 2022 by astronomers using the Zwicki Transit Transit Facility's wide-field survey camera at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, where the comet approached its closest point to the sun on January 12, according to NASA. Comet C / 2022 is called E3 (ZTF), and it has an orbit around the sun that passes through the outer reaches of the solar system, which is why it has taken such a long route - and a long time - to swing the Earth again, according to the Planetary Society.

According to EarthSky, the icy celestial body will make its closest trajectory on Earth between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, about 26 million miles to 27 million miles (42 million kilometers to 44 million kilometers). Even during its closest approach, the comet will remain more than 100 times more than 100 times the moon's distance from Earth, according to EarthSky. As the comet approaches Earth, observers will be able to spot it as a pale green smudge near the bright star Polaris, also known as the North Star. Comets reflect different colors of light due to their current positions in orbit and chemical compositions.The early morning sky, once the moon sets after midnight for those in the northern hemisphere, is ideal for watching the comet. Seeing the space object will be more difficult for those in the southern hemisphere. Depending on its brightness, the C / 2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible to the naked eye in the dark sky, but binoculars or a telescope will make the comet easier to see.

The comet can be distinguished from the stars by its falling tails of dust and active particles, as well as the glowing green coma surrounding it.A coma is a shell that forms around a comet as it passes near the Sun, causing its ice to sublimate, or to turn directly into a gas. This makes the comet look mysterious when observed through telescopes. After passing Earth, the comet will approach its closest point to Mars on February 10, according to EarthSky. If clouds or inclement weather obstruct the path of sky observation, the virtual telescope project will share the comet's live broadcast in the sky over Rome. And don't miss other celestial events you'll see in 2023.