A rare comet that appeared during the Ice Age will reappear this 2023. People who like space should definitely try to watch this heavenly object in the night sky.
A comet that last seen in the sky during Earth's Ice age is set to make its reappearance This year. The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet orbits the sun every 50,000 years and will pass within 26 million miles of Earth on February 2, making it visible to naked eyes. It's already 👇 pic.twitter.com/xB7CrViqtz
— Naren Mukherjee (@NMukherjee6) January 1, 2023
This is because the comet's last appearance was around 50,000 years ago.
If you are curious about this rare space rock, here's what you need to know about the C/2022 E3 (ZTF).
Rare Comet That Appeared During Ice Age Will be Visible This 2023!
According to Interesting Engineering's latest report, the rare will pass within 26 million miles of Earth this coming Feb. 1.
You can still see it with your naked eyes around mid-January.
"On a voyage through the inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will be at perihelion, its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and at perigee," said NASA via its official blog post.
The international space union added that the comet would be closest to Earth on Feb. 1.
But, space experts suggested using low-level telescopes or binoculars to view the comet clearly.
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) 2022 dec 28 4.30 UT 25x100sec 12"/4 Nikon Z6mod Michael Jäger pic.twitter.com/znxHNlZGe6
— Michael Jäger (@Komet123Jager) December 28, 2022
Aside from these tools, you also need to go to an area far away from the city lights.
If you are having difficulty finding the comet, you can use Star Chart, SkyView, Sky Safari, and other comet-tracking applications.
About C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Comet
NASA said that astronomers Frank Masci and Bryce Bolin first discovered the C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet.
They used the Zwicky Transient Facility to track the comet on March 2, 2022.
After the space rock was confirmed, NASA has been photographing the comet.
The latest image of the comet was captured by NASA on December 19, 2022.
In the photo, you can see that the comet has a very long tail. Aside from this, it also emits a bright green color.
However, it is unclear if the naked eye can also see these characteristics.
Space experts said that comets are unpredictable space objects because their brightness depends on the scattering of sunlight from dust particles.
If you want to learn more about the C/2022 E3 (ZTF), you can visit NASA's official website.
NASA and other space agencies are still discovering various asteroids and comets.
Recently, we reported that the K2 comet, the brightest one in the entire solar system, appeared in July 2022.
NASA also discovered a potentially-hazardous asteroid the size of a skyscraper. This space rock was expected to fly toward Earth last October 2022.
For more news updates about comets, asteroids, and other heavenly bodies, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
