A comet that has not been to Earth or the inner solar system since the last ice age will make its closest approach to the sun tonight (January 12) and you can watch it live online in a free webcast.
The comet, designated C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will come within about 100 million miles (160 million km) from the sun when it reaches its closest point, called perihelion. The comet will then move toward Earth to approach our planet, perihelion, on February 2 when it will pass us at a distance of 26 million miles (42 million kilometers).
Although it will not be visible to the naked eye as it approaches the Sun, the comet should be visible using binoculars. If C/2022 E3 (ZTF) continues to grow as bright as it currently is, it may eventually be possible to see it in the night sky with the naked eye. Whether or not you’ll be able to see it for yourself, the Virtual Telescope Project will be hosting a free live stream of the comet (Opens in a new tab) starting from 11 p.m. EST Jan. 12 (0400 GMT Jan. 13). You can watch the live broadcast online from the project website (Opens in a new tab) or on her YouTube channel (Opens in a new tab). It will appear on this page at start time as well.
Related: Stunning images of the brilliant green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) gives the period of this comet as 50,000 years. This means that the last time C/2022 E3’s (ZTF) orbit brought it so close to Earth, our planet was in the middle of the last ice age or “Ice Age” and early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals still shared the planet.
to me in the sky (Opens in a new tab) From New York City C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perihelion will be visible in the dawn sky, rising at 11:18 p.m. EDT (0418 GMT) and reaching 64 degrees above the eastern horizon. The comet will disappear from view as dawn breaks around 6:07 AM EDT (1107 GMT).
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will eventually reach its apogee on February 2 when it is at its closest point to Earth, visible in the constellation Camelopardalis.
The comet was first identified in March 2022 by the Survey’s Wide Field Camera Zwicky Transit Facility It was thought at first that it was an asteroid. It was the rapid brightness of C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as it moved from Jupiter’s inner orbit that indicated its true cometary nature.
The comets’ brightness can be hard to predict, but even if C/2022 E3 (ZTF) doesn’t brighten enough to be visible with the naked eye, it will still be observable during January and early February with binoculars and small telescopes.
According to NASA (Opens in a new tab) Northern Hemisphere observers should be able to find C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the morning sky, as it moves to the northwest throughout January. The comet will become visible to skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere in early February 2023.
The new moon phase (when the moon is not fully lit) on January 21 should provide the perfect dark sky needed to detect C/2022 E3 (ZTF), weather permitting.
If you want to look at C/2022 E3 ZTF and don’t have the right equipment, be sure to check out our guides for the best binoculars and the best telescopes for viewing a comet or anything else in the sky. To capture the best possible images of comets, we have recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s note: If you captured Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), and would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo(s), comments, name, and location to [email protected]
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