Green comet closest to Earth on Wednesday
Green comet closest to Earth on Wednesday: When and where to watch in India
The comet is characterised by a greenish tinge around its nucleus and tadpole-type tail that extends millions of kilometers in open space.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 31, 2023 17:19 IST
Green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed by our planet about 50,000 years ago and is expected to be most visible to stargazers this week. (Photo: Reuters)
In Short
- The comet is not as bright as it was expected
- At its closest, the comet will be just 42 million km from Earth
- The green comet was discovered on March 2, 2022
By India Today Web Desk: Astronomers and stargazers will be treated to a unique celestial event when Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible in the skies above Earth. The comet will come closest to Earth on February 1, making it visible across the world, including in almost every state of India.
The comet is characterised by a greenish tinge around its nucleus and tadpole-type tail that extends millions of kilometers in open space. The comet is coming into the skies above Earth after completing its orbit around the Sun in the early weeks of January 2023 and is currently on an outbound journey to the edge of the solar system.
At its closest, the comet will be just 42 million kilometers from Earth's surface, which is a very small distance on the cosmic scale. What makes the comet unique is its 50,000-year-long orbit around the Sun. The last time it came this close to Earth, modern humans were yet to evolve and Neanderthals roamed the planet.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as seen in Ladakh. (Photo: Dorje Angchuk)
HOW TO WATCH GREEN COMET C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?
To watch the comet in the skies, you need clear and dark skies else you will be unable to see the tail and the movement of the comet. The comet is however not as bright as it was expected to be and you will need binoculars to see the comet moving across the sky.
Shilpi Gupta, Scientific Officer at the Birla Planetarium in Kolkata told indiatoday.in that the comet will be faint and will not be visible to the naked eye. "Stargazers will need a binocular and clear dark sky to see the comet. They will have to get away from the city in order to reduce the light pollution for better observation," she added.
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH GREEN COMET C/2022 E3 (ZTF) IN INDIA?
The comet will be visible in the skies after 9:30 pm, given clear sky conditions and darkness outside. To watch the comet in the skies above India, look a bit south to the Pole Star in the skies and you can locate the greenish tinge in the skies. The comet will be traveling south and will reach the head of the Orion constellation.
The comet will be visible in several parts of India, including in West Bengal, Odisha, Ladakh, and in several northeastern states of the country.
At its closest, the comet will be just 42 million kilometers from Earth's surface. (Photo: Reuters)
WHY IS THE COMET GREEN?
The green comet was discovered on March 2, 2022, by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility telescope at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in San Diego. Its greenish, emerald hue reflects the comet's chemical composition - it is the result of a clash between sunlight and carbon-based molecules in the comet's com
Nasa plans to observe the comet with its James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which could provide clues about the solar system's formation.
