Get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime celestial display! On 1 February

On a cosmic scale, the comet’s closest approach is only 42 million km from the Earth’s surface. The comet’s 50,000-year orbit around the Sun distinguishes it from other celestial bodies. The last time we got this close to Earth, Neanderthals were still roaming the planet, and modern humans hadn’t evolved yet.

How to watch the Green Comet?

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is not easily visible to the naked eye and will require binoculars and a clear dark sky for proper observation, according to Sirpi Gupta, a researcher at the Birla Planetarium in Kolkata. . Light pollution from cities can affect visibility, so for the best experience, it’s recommended to move to a location with less light.Under these conditions, stargazers are faint. You can watch the comet move across the sky.

On Monday, it appeared between the Big Dipper, the North Star, and the North Star. And on Wednesday he was positioned to appear near the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, and the smaller Big Dipper.

When and where to watch the cComet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?

Space enthusiasts in several parts of India including West Bengal, Orissa, Ladakh and the northeastern states will have the chance to witness this heavenly event. You can see the comet’s movement and its distinctive green cast.

What is a Comet?

Comets, often called “dirty snowballs” by astronomers, are made of rock, ice, and dust and usually come from the Oort Cloud, a ring of icy material on the outer edge of the solar system. On rare occasions, comets even come from outside the solar system. B. 2I/Borisov.

A comet’s solid core is surrounded by a thin gaseous atmosphere called a coma, made of ice and dust. As the comet approaches the Sun, it melts and releases streams of gas and dust from its surface blown away by solar radiation and plasma, forming a tail that points away from the Sun.

Gravity from the Solar System pushes the comet out of the Oort Cloud, moving towards the inner part of the Solar System, where it becomes visible as it approaches the heat of the Sun. On average, fewer than a dozen comets are discovered by observatories worldwide each year.