A comet could be about to light up the sky for the first time since the Neanderthals – Enseñame de Ciencia

Earlier this year a recently discovered comet could light up the night sky.

Earlier this year a newly discovered comet could light up the night sky, perhaps bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is passing through the inner solar system and will make its close pass by Earth in January-February, where it could become a juicy celestial object for skygazers. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the Wide Field Survey Camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility earlier this year using the 1.2-m Schmidt Telescope on Mount Palomar (USA).

According to NASA The comet, whose official name is C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first sighted in March of last year, when it was already within Jupiter’s orbit. Its closest approach to the Sun will occur on January 12 and its closest approach to Earth on February 2. The brightness of comets is unpredictable, so it may increase in brightness substantially to make it easier to see.

Comets are known to be notoriously unpredictable, but if C/2022 E3 continues its current bright trend, it will be easy to see with binoculars, and it is possible that it could be visible to the naked eye in dark skies. “Northern Hemisphere observers will find the comet in the morning sky as it moves rapidly northwestward during the month of January. (It will be visible in the southern hemisphere in early February.) This comet is not expected to be the spectacle that Comet NEOWISE was in 2020. But it’s still an incredible opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from the far outer solar system. ».

What is the best time to look for the comet?

As we indicated earlier, on January 12, 2023, it will reach perihelion about 100 million miles from the Sun on January 12 and 26 million miles from Earth on February 2. The comet’s magnitude will be about 6.5. StarWalk 2 indicates that this is the best time to view the comet, since it will reach its maximum brightness.

According to TheSkyLive.com, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation Corona Borealis. The current estimated magnitude of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is 9.87 while the last observed magnitude is 7.8 (COBS). You can visit the thematic site to try to locate the comet by clicking here.

The comet has a period of about 50,000 years, so the last time it was this close was during the Upper Paleolithic on Earth. “That means that the last humans who could have sighted C/2022 E3 (ZTF) were the first Homo sapiens alive during the last glacial period or “ice age”. The same could be said of the last Neanderthals, since that species became extinct about 10,000 years after the last perihelion of C/2022 E3 (ZTF)”, explains the science website Space.com.

The expected magnitude in different sources varies from 5.1 to 7.35, insisting that its brightness is unpredictable, we recommend staying on top of the news to receive updates about it. Clear skies!

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