Green Comet Not Seen Since the Ice Age to Pass Earth in Next Few Weeks, Here’s How to See It

Recently, astronomers spotted a green comet passing by earth for the first time in 50,000 years. The comet designated Comet ZTF may never be seen again, so this could be the last time people witness this extraordinary comet. The green comet will speed past earth from the solar system’s edge in late January and early February.

11 Astronomers say that this comet passed by the earth during the Ice Age

Since the last Ice Age, when the Zwicky Transient Facility discovered this comet back in March 2022, astronomers have been calling this space snowball C/2022 E3 (ZTF), or “Comet ZTF” for short.

Img Src: canal10.com

10 The comet passes by earth every 50,000 years

Researchers figured out that the icy ball of gas, dust, and rock goes around the sun about every 50,000 years. This means that Neanderthals were still walking the earth, and humans had just moved out of Africa for the first time the last time the comet flew by.

Img Src: sweden.postsen.com

9 The ancient humans and Neanderthals never got the chance to see it

If those ancient people didn’t have telescopes or binoculars, they might not have seen the comet at all. So they never had the opportunity to see it again. Jessica Lee, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told Newsweek. “Some predictions suggest that the orbit of this comet is so eccentric it’s no longer in an orbit — so it’s not going to return at all and will just keep going.”

It might be worth trying to find Comet ZTF and be one of the few people ever to see it up close. Here’s what you should know to give yourself the best chance to get a glimpse of it when it passes by the earth soon.

Img Src: ytimg.com