– This comet has an orbit that causes it to enter from above the earth. It is thus located furthest north in the sky, not too far from the Polar Star, says press contact for the Norwegian Astronomical Society, Tor E. Aslesen.
The green comet named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is heading towards Norway and will be visible in the night sky.
– If you want to catch a glimpse of it, you should look in the north-east direction in the sky. Already around the 30th and 31st of January, its brightness will increase. On February 1, it will be closest to Earth.
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Recommend binoculars
The comet consists of a carbon compound. When it is hit by the sun’s ultraviolet light, the color occurs. The amplification occurs when it approaches the Sun and the Earth.
Aslesen recommends using binoculars if you want to get an extra good look at it. At the same time, he says that the brightness can also vary.
Last chance
The comet has not been visible from Earth for 50,000 years, and astrophysicists in the US have calculated that this will most likely be the last time one gets the opportunity to see it, according to Aslesen.
– Due to disturbances in the track, it is pushed out. It is the speed of the comet that determines this. With extra speed, it can go out of its original path and into an infinite one. The opposite can also happen, that a comet is sent into an orbit around the Earth.
The name of the comet is a numbering and is determined by the time of year it was discovered. Aslesen says the comet was caught by an automatic device and that is due to the somewhat cryptic name.
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