Newly discovered ZTF comet is closest to Earth with the naked eye in 50,000 years and is making headlines. Some call it an “extremely rare” and “bright green” comet, but does it live up to the hype? We explain.
ZTF Comet Facts
Comet ZTF was discovered on March 2, 2022 by a robotic camera attached to a telescope called the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). Palomar Observatory in Southern California. ZTF scans the entire northern sky every two days, capturing hundreds of thousands of stars and constellations in a single shot. Many comets have been discovered with this instrument. The most recent C/2022 E3 (ZTF) abbreviation is listed as Comet ZTF.
Why is it rare?
Comet ZTF has traveled 2.8 trillion miles and will make its closest approach to Earth in 50,000 years on February 1, 2023. Orbital calculations indicate that Comet ZTF cannot return.
What makes ZTF a green comet?
The green color may be due to a molecule consisting of two carbon atoms bonded together decarbon. This unusual chemical process is mainly confined to the head, not the tail. If you look at the Comet ZTF, that green is very faint (if visible). The appearance of green comets due to carbon dioxide is very unusual.
Recent photographs show the head (coma) distinctly green and trailing by a long, thin blush patch (tail). But that’s what a long exposure camera sees. The hue is less green to the naked eye.
When and where to watch Comet ZTF
In late January to early February, ZTF gets bright enough to see with the naked eye. Use a reliable star chart to track nighttime changes in position relative to background stars and constellations. Here are approximate dates and locations.
January 12-14
Watch the constellation Corona Borealis before sunrise.
January 14-20
Look towards the constellation Boötes just before sunrise.
Jan 21
The comet is visible in the night sky (previously it was visible only in the early morning). Look to the north, above and to the left of the Big Dipper.
January 22-25
Look closer at the constellation Draco (the Dragon).
January 26-27
Look several degrees east of the Little Dipper’s bowl. On the evening of the 27th, the two outer stars in the Little Dippers bowl will be regarding three degrees apart in the upper right of the bright orange gochap.
January 29-30
Look towards Polaris.
Feb 1
Look closer at the Camelopardalis constellation.
Feb 5th
Look towards the bright yellow-white star Capella (from the constellation Gemini).
Feb 6
Look directly over your head at 8 p.m. local time, inside the triangle known as the “Children” star system of Auriga.
February 10th
Look two degrees to the upper left of Mars.
Note: If you live in a large city or in the outer suburbs, seeing this comet will be difficult — if not impossible. Even for those blessed with dark, starry skies, finding ZTF can be a challenge.
Watch Comet ZTF live now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch؟v=mbqAjw4TVJE
More information regarding ZTF offer
As for the tails, comets can release two types of dust and gas. Dust tails are much brighter and more pleasing to the eye than gas tails because dust is a more effective reflection of sunlight. The coolest comets are dusty and can produce long, bright tails that create stunning and impressive skyscapes.
On the other hand, the tails of gas appear much fainter, glowing blue. The gas is activated by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, making the tail glow in the same way that black light makes phosphorescent paint glow. Unfortunately, the gas tails produced by most comets appear long, thin, and very faint. Impressive in pictures but lacking visually. This is what we are currently seeing at ZTF.
Finally, when ZTF is at its peak in late January and early February, it has to compete with another celestial body: the moon. At the same time, the moon will be close to full (Th Snow full moon 5 February). The full moon burning up the night sky like a giant searchlight will make it difficult to try to see a relatively dim and diffuse object like Comet ZTF.
Other visible comets
There are regarding a dozen comets that can be seen in the sky tonight. However, most of them can only be seen with relatively large telescopes. You’ll need a good star atlas and accurate coordinate positions to know where to point your instrument to see any of these. Most amateurs call these comets “faint fuzz” because they look so beautiful through the eyelids: a faint, fuzzy point of light. These are called “common comets”.
Every now and then, maybe two or three times every 15 or 20 years, a bright or “big” comet comes along. These are the kinds that get us excited, binoculars or no binoculars—all you have to do is go outside, look up, and exclaim: “Oh, look! that!Such comets tend to be larger than average. Most have a core or core of less than two or three miles. But there are others that are much larger.
As a general rule, the closer a comet is to the Sun, the brighter it will be. Larger ones that are closer to Earth’s distance from the sun (92.9 million miles) are brighter. Good examples include Comet Hale-Bopp in the spring of 1997 and Comet NOISE (discovered by an automated space telescope) in the summer of 2020.
So what category does ZTF belong to? ZTF is a very common comet in many ways, but compared to other faint fuzzy objects, ZTF is very bright.
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