![]() It will come closest to Earth on July 22 – just 64 million miles away. The comet will continue to rise higher above the northwestern horizon for the rest of this month. It looks a bit like a fuzzy star with a tail. If you live in an urban area with a lot of light pollution, you may want to find a spot to watch the sky that has less light and obstructions, like tall buildings.Īfter the sun sets, look for the Big Dipper constellation in the northwestern sky, according to NASA. You may be able to see it with the naked eye, but grab a pair of binoculars or peer through a small telescope, if you have either, for a better view. It’s named after NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, otherwise known as the NEOWISE mission, which discovered it in late March. While July began with the comet visible low on the horizon in the early morning sky, NEOWISE has now transitioned to become an evening comet, perfectly visible as the skies darken. Once it disappears from view, the comet will not be visible in Earth’s skies for another 6,800 years, according to NASA. The “E3” refers to it being the third comet discovered in the fifth fortnight of 2022.Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere should enjoy every opportunity to see the new Comet NEOWISE as it streaks across the evening sky for the rest of July. It’s a telescope that’s often used to discover new asteroids and comets. This long-period comet-originally thought to be an asteroid-was discovered on Main the constellation of Aquila by astronomers using the 48-inch telescope at the Zwicky Transient Facility at Mt. When was comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) discovered? There are two live feeds scheduled for Janu(perihelion) and Febru(Earth flyby). Gianluca Masi at the Virtual Telescope Project in Rome, Italy, will be broadcasting live views of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF through a huge telescope. So comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is not the “comet of the century”-it’s only just bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, and even then it’s going to be challenging-though given the paucity of bright comets in one human lifetime it could still easily qualify as being the “comet of the year.” If you want to see the comet online ![]() If could fizzle out at any time and go from faint to bright and back to faint in a matter of hours.Light pollution makes a big difference to how easy it is to find a comet, so unless you’re in a dark sky area you have this problem, too.It’s only visible in pre-dawn twilight skies in the early morning, right before sunrise, at the moment (though it will soon be an evening object).Although technically a naked eye object, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is right on the cusp of easy visibility-you’re going to need to scan around the sky with binoculars.If you want instant gratification-a quick five-second sight of a mighty fireball lighting-up the night sky-then comet-spotting is not for you. The problem with comet-watchingĪll comets require patience and perseverance. This rusty-red star in the constellation of Taurus is the eye of “the bull” and the thirteenth brightest star in the night sky. If it’s still shining brightly then comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible very close to the reddish star Aldebaran tonight. The comet and Aldebaran on February 14, 2023. Here are some key dates and events to look for comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in late January and February 2023: It’s thought that this comet could reach a brightness of magnitude 5 or 6 as it moves into the circumpolar (visible all night) constellations, which would make it a naked-eye object for those under dark skies. ![]() In the weeks after Januthe comet should brighten, but it should reach its brightest around Februwhen it gets closest to Earth. Waiting for comets to brighten is always risky, but if it doesn’t disintegrate then the best time to see comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) should be when it’s leaving the solar system. If you want to wait to see the comet in early evening Find out when nautical dawn begins where you live and set an alarm.Leave some binoculars in that place ready for the morning. Identify somewhere at home/close by where you can see the northeast horizon.Find the curved constellation of Corona Borealis, the “Northern Crown, which is halfway between the bright stars Vega low in the northeast and Arcturus high in the east.Īlthough it’s relatively dim (at magnitude 8.2, it’s much dimmer than 2020’s Comet NEOWISE), a pair of 10x50 binoculars used in the northern hemisphere should get you a good view of the smudge-like comet. Look low to the northwestern horizon about an hour before dawn. Given that comets are unpredictable in the extreme you could get yourself a first-and possibly a last (who knows?)-glimpse of the comet any morning this week. If you want to see the dim comet now before dawn
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