When a comet approaches the sun, the ice in its nucleus sublimates (Getty)
Scientists and enthusiasts await astronomical phenomena Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) passed by this week the sunas it is the first time in 50,000 years, and it will be possible to see this newly discovered comet with the naked eye at the end of January.
The discovery of this small rocky and icy body, regarding one kilometer in diameter, dates back to March 2022, and was monitored by the Zwicky Transient Facility, which operates the Samuel-Oshin telescope at Palomar Observatory in California. American.
The comet was observed when it passed in the orbit of Jupiter, and it is currently heading towards the sun and will reach its closest point to it on January 12, according to scientists’ calculations. astronomy.
Nicolas Biver of the Paris-BSL Observatory told AFP that the celestial body would then be at a distance from the sun regarding 10% farther than the distance separating Earth from it (regarding 150 million km).
When a comet approaches the sun, the ice in its nucleus sublimes, that is, it turns from a solid state to a gaseous state, leaving a long trail of dust that reflects the sunlight.
And this dust that looks like shiny hair is what you’ll be able to see from Earth The closer the comet distance.
The comet reaches its peak brightness “when it is closest to Earth,” said Caltech physics professor Thomas Prince, who works for ZTF.
However, this phenomenon will be less dramatic than the passage of comets Hale-Bopp in 1997 and New Wise in 2020, which are much larger.
The star can be easily seen using binoculars, and perhaps even with the naked eye during part of the night, if the moon’s radiation is not strong and the sky is free of light pollution.
Astrophysicist Nicholas Beaver hopes for a “nice surprise” that makes the comet’s brightness “twice as strong as expected.”
The best time slice for viewing the comet is likely to be on January 21 and 22 and the following week.
During this period, the comet will pass between the constellations of the stars “The Little Bear” and “The Great Bear”, before heading to the southern hemisphere, and then returning to the borders of the solar system, which is believed to be its main place of residence.
According to current models, comets come from two reservoirs: the Kuiper Belt behind Neptune’s orbit, or the Oort Cloud, a vast theoretical region located a light-year away from the Sun, within the limits of the gravitational field.
“The tilt of its orbital chart suggests that it is a long-period comet originally from the Oort Cloud,” Beaver explained.
It will not be the first ice comet to pass near the sun, as it had previously had a similar experience 50,000 years ago.
Then the comet came back in the other direction, but it didn’t go as far as the Oort Cloud. As for this time, it is likely that he will be “permanently removed from.” Solar System“.
Its last pass will be an opportunity for scientists to understand more regarding the formation of comets, provided by the observations reached by the “James Webb” space telescope.
“We will monitor it from all angles. It is true that it is not the comet of the century, but we are happy to be able to monitor such comets every year or two, because we consider them to be traces of the formation of the solar system,” Beaver said.
As for Thomas Prince, he commented that this “rare visitor” would bring “information regarding the farthest part of the farthest planets in Earth’s solar system.”
(AFP)
