When and where to see comet C2022 E3 (ZTF) in Mexico, the green star that visits us every 50,000 years

The bright comet was photographed by specialists in the field from the first days of 2023. (Twitter/@brennanmgilmore)

In one of the astronomical events visible from our planet in 2023, the comet C2022 E3 (ZTF) will grace the space around the Earth for the first time in 50 thousand years.

A green comet approaches Earth for the first time in 50,000 years: how and when it can be seen

The celestial body was discovered last year. This Thursday it will begin to be seen in the northern hemisphere. When will it be visible in the south

This brilliant star, which will be seen as a ball of green light, is one of the remnants of the birth of our solar system, according to Julieta Fierro Gossman, a researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

From the first days of 2023, comet C2022 E3 (ZTF) was already within our system and it was January 12 when it reached its closest point to the Sun. However, the best day to see it in Mexico will be February 2, in full Candlemas Day, because on this date it will reach its perigee, that is, its closest distance to Earth (approximately 42 million kilometers).

Ciudadano filed a complaint against Minister Yasmín Esquivel for administrative offenses

The complaint was made during the afternoon of Thursday and was presented before the Supreme Court

The UNAM astronomy expert warned that, due to its position, people will not be able to look at the classic tail or “tail” of the comet, so it will appear “like a shiny ball.”

Comet C2022 E3 (ZTF) will pass one third of the distance between Earth and the Sun. It will be visible near the horizon in dark skies, according to information from UNAM.

Information shared by the researcher Fierro Gossman specified that, since city lights are usually an obstacle to visualizing this type of stars, it is advisable to find a place far from cities to better appreciate comet C2022 E3 (ZTF). .

A UNAM student died inside High School 2

Preliminary reports indicated that the student would have suffered a blow to the head. The educational establishment had to be evacuated

In case of having access to areas with little light pollution, people will be able to enjoy the passage of this comet looking towards the northeast, since the celestial body moves in that direction.

On the contrary, for those who cannot get away from the cities and still wish to see the passage of C2022 E3 (ZTF) close to Earth, the Virtual Telescope Project will offer a totally free live broadcast through its official page on this link: https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/

“This comet already looks like a fluffy little ball moving through the Universe, unlike the stars that are always in the same places forming constellations. They are discovered even though they are very far away because they move with respect to the stars, and this time we can see them with the naked eye in very dark places”, said Fierro Gossman.

☄️

This comet, called C2022 E3 ZTF, passes close to Earth every 50,000 years and the Sky Shop México team was able to capture it this morning 🔭📸 pic.twitter.com/GmKwEYzUEX

— Alejandro Olave (@Alejo_Olave) January 14, 2023

Regarding the meaning of the peculiar name of this comet, National Geographic pointed out that it originated from the scientific nomenclature used by specialists in astronomy to identify these celestial bodies.

The “C” in this case means that it is a non-periodic comet, because it takes more than 200 years to complete its orbit. The last time it was close to our planet, “humans began to colonize the Earth,” according to information from UNAM.

The 2022 included in its name refers to the year in which it was detected. The first sightings were recorded in March.

“E3” responds to the comet nomenclature system approved by the International Astronomical Union and means that it was the third astronomical object discovered in the same period.

Finally, “ZTF” refers to the fact that this comet was discovered thanks to the telescopes of the Zwicky Transient Facility (Zwicky Transient Facility), housed at the Palomar Observatory of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

KEEP READING:

Through the James Webb telescope, NASA confirmed the existence of an unknown exoplanet Why cell phones are causing astronomers great concern They found the most distant stars in the galaxy a million light years from Earth

---

Source

---