Photo: NASA
A "rare" green comet will fly through the sky this weekend that no one alive earth has ever seen before. According to SF Gate, San Francisco natives might have the best opportunity to witness the event! Comet "C/2022 E3 (ZTF)" has not made its way into Earth's solar system for the last 50,000 years.
SF Gate mentioned that the existence of this particular comet was discovered by astronomers Frank Masci and Bryce Bolin of the Palomar Observatory in San Diego. They noted the comet to be located in Jupiter's orbit as of March 2022. On February 2nd, it will get closer to Earth than ever before. Lick Observatory astronomer Paul Lynam told SF Gate that a good pair of binoculars will be needed to spot the comet as light pollution will diminish its full appearance. Those interested in spotting the comet might also be lucky enough to witness its morphology.
“Comets have already been known to change their appearance quite quickly from night to night. If you are able to see it, you may recognize that it’s moving relative to the stars in the background, and if you’re lucky, you may see the morphology — the shape and structure of the tail," Lynam shared.
According to The New York Times, if you look between the Big Dipper and the North Star on January 30th, or anytime this weekend "when the phase of the moon is new" you might be able to spot the comet regardless of where you live in the United States. Scattered showers could decrease your chances of being able to spot the comet.