Rare green comet to be closest to Earth soon. See when, how to watch

A green comet will pass near Earth soon. The comet was last seen during the Stone Age.

This once-in-a-lifetime green comet, which is named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), became visible through binoculars and telescopes this month. It can also be seen with the naked eye soon.

When to watch it?

On February 1 and 2, the green comet will look its brightest in the night sky, the experts said. The green comet will be visible from the northern and southern hemisphere at its closest point (a mere 28 million miles away).



As per NASA, the comet's fly-by will be a great opportunity to make a connection with an icy visitor from the distant outer solar system.

The visibility of the comet has been best before dawn till now. As January ends and February begins, the comet will now be visible from the evening.

Between next Wednesday and Thursday, the comet will be at its nearest and brightest.

According to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, it will be beneficial to check what time the moon will rise where you live in order to avoid its bright light drowning out the shine of the comet.

One of best comet sightings of 2023

The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) seems to have been regarded as one of the very best comet sightings of 2023.

When this comet gets closest to Earth, it will be in the Camelopardalis constellation. Before this moment, it will be traveling through Corona Borealis, Bootes, Draco and Ursa Minor.

This icy green comet was discovered on March 2, 2022. It was spotted from the Zwicky Transient Facility in California.

FAQs:

1. When was the first comet discovered by humans?
   Kirch’s Comet in 1680
2. What is a comet?
   It is basically an icy body of frozen gasses, rocks and dust left over from the formation of the solar system.