The rare comet returns after 50,000 years – if you look towards Karlsvogna on Saturday, you can catch it with you – NRK Troms and Finnmark

The comet has been given the cryptic name C/2022 E3, and is approaching Earth at great speed.

– I tried to look for it last weekend, but was a bit unlucky with both the weather and a lot of northern lights. There was thus no success, but I will make another attempt this weekend, says leader of the Tromsø Astronomy Association, Børge Irgens.

Saturday, January 21 will be the best time to see the comet.

Then the night sky is darkest. The comet will be visible until February 1, but then with more light from the moon making it more difficult to detect.

Long journey

The comet was discovered last March. Then it was halfway through our solar system, passing the orbit of the planet Jupiter.

NASA believes the comet originated from The Oort cloud, which is located at the far end of the solar system. Comets like this go in an exceptionally long orbit, which means that they are extremely rarely recorded, writes the website Physics Astronomy.

Irgens says comets in earlier times were not perceived as something positive.

– This was the most spectacular thing you could see in the starry sky. Unlike other celestial bodies, comets arrived at unpredictable times. One would like to think that this was a message from the gods about bad news, says Irgens.

An example of this was given about a thousand years ago, he says.

– In the year 1066 came Halley’s Comet to the inner solar system, and lit up the sky. This happened half a year before William the Conqueror conquered England, which indicated bad news for the English, says Irgens.

Comet tail

The comet’s “tail” occurs when the comet approaches the sun. The solar radiation causes dust, gas and ice to be torn loose and creates an elongated cloud behind the comet.

The green color comes from the composition of gases, which in this case is different from the most common type of comet.

Comet C/2022 E3 will be closest to Earth on February 1. Although it is the brightest comet visible right now, you should have binoculars to see it.

Right now it is visible in an area near the well-known constellation Karlsvogna.

– If you observe a comet through binoculars or a telescope, you will see a star that is slightly more diffuse than the others. By observing it over a few hours, one can see that it moves in relation to the surrounding stars.

– It gives a special feeling that this is the forerunner of the earth and all of us, emphasizes Irgens.