This evening, Saturday, January 28, 2023, the Saudi sky is preparing to receive comet Green ZTF, a rare event that will only happen every 50,000 years from now, and the comet can be seen with the naked eye in early February, but according to The Astronomical Society in Jeddah It is expected to see the comet today adorning the sky of the Arab world from a dark location throughout the night, specifically near the stars of the Lesser Bear on the northern horizon, using the telescope, as it shines like a star of the fifth magnitude, but it is not very clear to the naked eye.
The green comet decorates the sky of Saudi Arabia
According to Majid Abu Zahra, head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, the comet took on a green color due to the release of diatomic carbon from its nucleus, and “Abu Zahra” expects the green color to become more clear during the coming nights, coinciding with the approach of the green comet to Earth, in turn the comet prepares to pass near From Earth in early February, when it will be at a distance of 41,887,404 million km, and earlier, “independent” stated that the comet separated from its tail and that moment is called the “separation incident”, which occurs when the tip of the comet is separated away by the solar wind, a phenomenon that forms Behind the comets, according to the classification of scientists in a study conducted in 2018, and the phenomenon occurs as a result of the formation of an electrostatic field behind them, which is characteristic of the green comet that will enable the whole world to see it, as astronomers and ordinary citizens can see it from home and track it when it approaches the earth.
Comet formation phenomenon
Comets consist of frozen gases that are heated when they approach the sun and glow with sunlight as the temperature of the gases rises and expands, and at the present time it is possible to monitor from 6 to 10 comets on any given night. As for the phenomenon that the sky of the Arab world will witness during the coming nights, Abu Zahra explained “It is not possible to predict the degree of appearance and brightness of the new comet, but all we have to do is wait and observe to monitor the developments that occur during the coming nights.”
For more: Seen with the naked eye… a green comet approaching Earth in early February 2023
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