Rare green comet will fly past Earth tonight for the first time in 50,000 years

Virgin Radio

1 Feb 2023, 11:23

A green comet will pass by Earth tonight (1st February) for the first time in 50,000 years and you might be able to see it if the conditions are right!

As named by NASA, the dirty snowball comet or C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has been zooming around the galaxy for millennia but was only identified last year. It’s also estimated the comet was last seen from Earth when our ancestors, the Neanderthals, were inhabiting the planet.

We wonder what they thought of it!

The comet will be closest to Earth on the evening of 2nd February and can be recognised by its distinctive green trail, before it disappears again into the cosmos for another few million years.

Star gazers in the Northern Hemisphere have the greatest chance of seeing the comet with the naked eye, as long as the sky is clear. The comet is also best seen in the pre-dawn light, so you might have to set your alarm a little earlier if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of this phenomenon.

If you are heading out, make sure you find somewhere that has minimal light pollution and is clear of things like trees or buildings that might obstruct your view.

NASA’s comet-and asteroid-tracking expert Paul Chodas has said this particular comet is one that cannot be missed.

He added: "This one seems probably a little bit bigger and therefore a little bit brighter and it’s coming a little bit closer to the Earth’s orbit.”

In other incredible space news, NASA has recently revealed a 12-year time lapse of the entire sky.

Twice a year, the telescope NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer) takes a trip halfway around the sun and captures images in all directions.

Scientists will take the images and stitch them together to create an ‘all-sky’ map to see what has changed and analyse new objects in the sky.

Over 12 years, there have been 18 maps produced by the telescope and scientists have now created a time-lapse film to show how the sky has developed.

You can see the time lapse here.