The last time this comet moved past Earth's sky, humans were still in the stone age.
A green comet, which has not been seen in the past 50,000 years, is set to make an appearance in the night sky in the coming weeks. According to NASA, the comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will make its closest approach to the Earth's orbit in late January and early February. This flyby will be a rare occurrence as after this encounter, the comet won't be coming by for a very long time.
As per Space.com, the last time this comet moved past the Earth's sky, humans were still in the stone age. But now, the once-in-a-generation comet will be closest to our planet on February 1 and 2, and the closest to the Sun on January 12, according to the American space agency. As the comet nears Earth, observers will be able to spot it near the bright star Polaris, also called the North Star.
NASA stated that the comet should be visible through binoculars in the morning sky for sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere during most of January and those in the Southern hemisphere in early February.
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Depending on how bright it becomes in the coming weeks, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may even become visible to the naked eye in the dark skies toward the end of this month. The comet can be distinguished from stars by its streaking tail of dust and energised particles, as well as the glowing green coma surrounding it.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility on March 2, 2022. According to The Planetary Society, the comet has an orbit around the sun that passes through the outer reaches of the solar system, which is why it's taken such a long journey to swing by our planet again.
One can watch the icy celestial object when it hurtles past the Sun on the Virtual Telescope Project website or YouTube channel.