The green comet was last seen 50,000 years ago. years ago.
On Wednesday and Thursday, there is a chance to see the “green comet” with the naked eye, which approaches the Sun once every 50,000 years. years. Although the celestial body is at perihelion, that is, closest to our planet, it is still 42 million km away from us. “It was last seen by humans in the Neanderthal era,” British astronaut Tim Peake encourages. The comet can only be seen in the northern hemisphere.
The green comet, which according to astronomers periodically approaches the Sun, is now closest to Earth. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be seen with the naked eye, and even better with the simplest astronomical sky observing tools.
Despite such excellent visibility, it is still 42 million km away from us.
Astronaut: Last seen by Neanderthals
It is worth taking advantage, because this celestial body approaches the center of our planetary system only once every 50,000 years. years.
The last time it was close to Earth was in an ice age.
a look: Green comet in the sky. She was last seen… 50,000 years ago
“Ready for a once-in-45,000-year opportunity? Green comet C/2022 E3 was last seen by humans in Neanderthal times,” Tim Peake wrote on Twitter.
Major Tim Peake is a British astronaut who has spent nearly 186 days on space missions, 4 hours and 43 minutes of spacewalks in open space.
Observations are possible in the northern hemisphere
NASA announced that during its journey through the solar system, comet C/2022 E3 reached perihelion (closest to the sun) on January 12th.
It is currently at perihelion, or closest to Earth, according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The Green Comet can only be seen from the Northern Hemisphere. It is visible for example in the United States and Poland.
a look: A Kilimanjaro-sized comet is hurtling toward the Sun. It may come from another planetary system
“To watch the comet, you can use popular sky-watching applications, such as Star Chart, SkyView or Sky Safari. It is also worth going somewhere away from large urban agglomerations, as the lights of lamps can make observing difficult” – reports GeekWeek.
Comets are made up of a mixture of dust and small pieces of rock and ice. Its components are water ice, methane, ammonia and solid carbon dioxide. Under the influence of solar radiation and the solar wind, the comet’s material evaporates, creating a bright streak behind it.
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