A time-lapse video that has been recorded in the Deep South has revealed that the newly-found ‘green comet’ has gone through its closest approach to Earth in around 50000 years. The video has been recorded by Matt Graves. The video is more than 45 minutes long and shows the comet. The comet has been officially named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Astronomers have said that cosmic sighting is like space-speed dating as they have recently discovered the existence of a comet, and before they learn more about it, it will be gone. Cosmologists have said that the comet can be seen with the naked eye, which is a rare occurrence. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory from NASA has revealed that the green comet has been moving at around 128000 mph when while making its closest approach to the planet Earth at just over 26 million miles.
Cosmologists from Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) from the National Science Foundation in California have discovered this moving comet in the solar system for the first time. As per the reports, as comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has reached perihelion, which is its closest approach to the sun, it has been a good time to start looking for the comet at night in the sky. After that, people on Earth have been able to see the green comet using telescopes and binoculars. However, the cosmic wonder has been visible to the naked eye during its closest approach to the Earth. The green comet has made its closest pass through Earth by more than 26 million miles.
Initially, astronomers from Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) from the National Science Foundation thought that the comet will make another close approach to Earth in 50,000 years. However, now they have predicted that another close flyby might take a few million years. Ye Quanzhi, who is an astronomer from the University of Maryland and a survey member of ZTF has said that cosmologists will have a better knowledge of its orbital period after it’s heading outbound to assess how its passage via the inner solar system muddles with the orbit of the comet. Quanzhi has confirmed that the comet will not be seen anytime soon. Stargazers across the world have got an opportunity to see the comet pass by during a live stream telecasted by the Virtual Telescope Project’s webTV page. An astronomer and the chief of the W.M. Keck Institute for Space Studies at Caltech Thomas Prince has said that people have been able to easily view the comet in a dark and moonless sky.
The comet has been much better visible at places that have little light pollution and that are away from city lights. He has said that though the green comet is considered a bright and naked-eye, moving object, it will help to use a pair of binoculars to view the comet. He has said that the comet has differentiated itself from other stars as people have been able to spot it as a little bit fuzzy compared to other stars in the sky. The comet has been nearly 1.5 degrees from Mars. The officials from NASA claim that there are more than 3,700 known comets, therefore people will have many opportunities to view such comets in their lifetime.
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