Everything you need to know about the Green Comet that will approach the planet soon!
A rare incident is all set to take place as a bright icy green comet is expected to come near Earth’s outer space for the very first time in 50,000 years. As per one of the NASA officials, the green comet was spotted initially in March 2022, inside Jupiter’s orbit. According to scientists, the bright green comet is expected to come near Earth and would be easily spotted on February 2, 2023.
As per a NASA blog, comets are infamously unpredictable. However, one can spot them if one carries on the comet’s current trend in brightness. Interestingly, the blog also said that possibly, the comet would be visible to the naked eye or simply with binoculars under dark skies from January 12.
The comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is now heading toward the inner Solar System, getting brighter. On January 12, 2023, it will reach perihelion, or come closest to the Sun, at a distance of 1.11 AU. The comet’s magnitude will equal about 6.5. Learn more👇https://t.co/8CFGscFmuT pic.twitter.com/TtfccVbNAn
— Star Walk (@StarWalk) January 9, 2023
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its once-in-50,000-year visit on January 21st. pic.twitter.com/YxW701YCgI
— Museum of Science (@museumofscience) January 7, 2023
The Comet
According to NASA, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is the scientific name of the green comet. The comet would make its nearest approach to the sun on Thursday. Later, it will move toward Earth on the second day of February. Here, the comet would be only around 42 million kilometers away from Earth. No wonder this event is regarded as a great chance as it will only happen once in a lifetime. Why is it so? Well, this is because a comet requires approximately 50,000 years to orbit the sun.
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What are comets composed of?
Comets are actually dirty ice balls. They are composed of several compounds. These include mineral grains, carbon dioxide, and dry ice. Almost all comets are composed of two tails. One of these is the ion tail. This tail is yellowish in color. On the other hand, the other one is a dust tail. This one is bluish in color. It is important to note that comet tails are always pointed away from the Sun.
