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Green comet 2023 – live: How to see E3 in sky tonight before it disappears forever

A green comet is flying past Earth for the first time in 50,000 years, offering skygazers a one-off opportunity to witness the celestial spectacle before it disappears from our Solar System forever.

The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet made its closest approach to Earth on 1 February, 2023, but will continue to be visible throughout the week from anywhere in the northern hemisphere – weather permitting.

At a relatively close 42 million kilometres (26 million miles) from our planet, and with a brightness value of the magnitude of about +6, it will be possible to see it with the naked eye.

The comet is so rare that woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats were still roaming the Earth when it last swept by our planet.

To find out where in the sky to look, and learn when conditions are best for viewing the comet tonight and over the next few days, you can follow our live coverage in the blog below.

Key Points

  • Nasa ‘expecting new discoveries’ from green comet

  • Where the best viewing conditions for the green comet are right now

  • How to see the green comet

  • Much more to see in February’s night sky

How to spot green comet if you missed it today

Thursday 2 February 2023 04:08 , Anthony Cuthbertson

The green comet is expected to slowly fade away from the skies over this week, but there will still be chances to get a glimpse of the cosmic entity over the following days.

The comet’s trajectory will take it past the bright star Capella on 5 February, before swinging by Mars on 10 February.

This graphic, made using Nasa and JPL-Caltech data, shows the path of the green comet as it passes through the solar system. (You can find an excellent indepth visual explainer on the comet right here.)

The Red Planet and the location of nearby stars and constellations might make it easier to spot.

Looking north (CC)
Looking north (CC)

With a full moon on 5 February, experts say the darker evening hours before moonrise in the coming days will be the best bet for spotting it in the sky.

Missed the comet? Don’t worry yet

11:00 , Andrew Griffin

The green comet hasn’t been past Earth for 50,000 years – and the experience of coming so close might mean that it never comes back again, as it will forever alter its orbit. 1 February was the important date, when it was closest to Earth and at its brightest.

However, if you missed it, don’t necessarily worry: next week might be the best time to see it after all. Around 10 February, the Moon will be less bright and the comet might actually be clearer, as it passes Mars.

You can find out more on that – and what else is going on in the night sky through the rest of the month – from Nigel Henbest, here.

What else is there to see this month?

Friday 3 February 2023 16:52 , Andrew Griffin

If the arrival of the green comet has got your eyes turned upwards, it’s not the only thing you’ll see. There are other planets that are unusually bright and visible – and much more besides.

You can find out all the goings on in here, Nigel Henbest’s rundown of what’s going on in February’s night sky.

The 2023 ‘green comet’ is now visible from Earth for the first time in 50,000 years

Friday 3 February 2023 10:30 , Josh Marcus

The first comet to light up the night sky since the Neowise comet in 2020 is approaching Earth.

The E3 comet – also known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF) – is not just a once-in-a-lifetime event, it is a once-in-an-epoch spectacle that was last seen when Neanderthals still roamed the Earth 50,000 years ago.

The green comet passed within 26 million miles of Earth on 1 February; it is already visible to people in the Northern Hemisphere with binoculars or telescopes under the right viewing conditions.

Anthony Cuthbertson reports.

The ‘green comet’ is now visible from Earth for the first time in 50,000 years

Watch as a green comet flies by Earth

Friday 3 February 2023 07:59 , Josh Marcus

Watch as a green comet flew past Earth for the first time in some 50,000 years before disappearing from our Solar System.

The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet is so rare that woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats were still roaming the Earth when it last swept by.

It was visible as it made its closest approach to Earth in the early hours of 1 February, 42 million kilometres away, and was seen again tonight.

While previous sightings have been through binoculars and telescopes, it’s expected to look so bright on Wednesday and Thursday that you could be able to see it with the naked eye.

More details in our full story.

Watch as a green comet flies by Earth

How to track green comet over the week

Friday 3 February 2023 07:29 , Vishwam Sankaran

Greenwich Royal Observatory says the green comet in its current close approach to Earth is near the constellation of Camelopardalis.

Then after its close approach, it will move through Auriga and end up in Taurus mid-February, the observatory noted.

On 10 February, the comet can be seen next to Mars after February’s full moon.

“The comet will dim over the month as it moves away from us, and the time that it will be up in the sky during the night will get shorter and shorter,” the Greenwich Royal Observatory said.

What studying comets has revealed in past

Friday 3 February 2023 07:02 , Vishwam Sankaran

Astronomers study comets to understand their composition which can then yield insights on the conditions under which they formed.

Studying comets like ZTF, which are long-period comets have orbital periods longer than 200 years, can unravel mysteries about the origins of the Solar System.

Their chemical composition can also reveal secrets about how different molecules behave in the vastness of space under the influence of radiation from the Sun and other sources.

For instance, one such study 70 years ago, which assessed data on the motion of comet tails revealed the presence of the solar wind.

Until then the space between planets in the Solar System was thought to be almost empty.

But solar physicist Eugene Parker, inspired by research on comet tails, came up with the idea that constant wind emanates from the Sun.

Green comet 'failed to wow' astronomers observing in X-ray light

Friday 3 February 2023 06:28 , Vishwam Sankaran

The European Space Agency tweeted that the green comet, that has not passed by Earth since Neanderthals roamed, has “failed to wow” those observing it in X-ray light.

ESA scientists attempted to study the comet using data from the XMM-Newton X-ray satellite, which has been in orbit since 1999, but said the comet barely showed up in the X-rays.

The results, however, are “scientifically very valuable,” the space organisation tweeted.

ICYMI: Green comet's discovery explained

Friday 3 February 2023 05:59 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet, formally known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was discovered by astronomers from the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022.

Using the facility’s robotic camera and machine learning tools, astronomers first detected a moving object in a twilight survey while scouring through hundreds of images.

They initially thought it was an asteroid, but the space rock’s condensed coma and its projected path indicated it was a comet.

“On March 2nd, all we knew was that we had found a moving object. We reported it to the Minor Planet Center – they are the clearing house for these things,” Tom Prince, one of the lead scientists on the project, told The New Yorker.

“This particular object was spotted because of its motion in a sequence of images taken by ZTF,” Dr Prince said.

The comet, now at its closest distance to Earth, is predicted to disappear into the darkness of space, likely never to be seen by humans again.

ICYMI: How scientists solved mystery behind green shade of some comets

Friday 3 February 2023 05:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Several comets in history have been observed to glow with a greenish hue as they zoom past the Earth’s sky. However it had remained a mystery for decades why the green colour glow never reached these comets’ tails.

Although it had long been theorised that diatomic carbon (C2), created by the interaction of the comet dust with sunlight’s UV radiation may have been behind the glow, this hadn’t been tested till 2021 since the dicarbon molecule is very unstable.

Chemistry professor Timothy Schmidt from the University of New South Wales in Australia demonstrated in 2021 the process by which the dicarbon molecule is broken up by sunlight.

“The green colour comes from C2, which is itself a breakdown product of larger molecules in the snowball. The C2 breaks down into C atoms in a few days. The green is due to C2 absorbing and emitting light in a process known as fluorescence,” Dr Schmidt explained in a recent tweet.

What does the ‘exotic’ green comet look like in the night sky?

Friday 3 February 2023 05:00 , Josh Marcus

The world is being visited by a guest who has not come by in 50,000 years.

The greenish comet has been hurtling towards Earth for months, but this week will be the most visible to anyone who wants to see it as it makes its closest pass by Earth.

At 26.4 million miles away, it should be close enough to see. What’s more, it will hang around, allowing people to see it through this week and on.

Andrew Grffin has the details.

What to expect as ‘green comet’ hurtles towards close encounter with Earth

ICYMI: Green comet to leave solar system, may never fly past Earth again

Friday 3 February 2023 04:32 , Vishwam Sankaran

Scientists tracking the orbit path of the green comet say it may not return to the inner Solar System again.

They say the comet’s orbit shape looks like an open curve.

The comet may “soon escape the Solar System entirely” due to its orbit, according to Franck Marchis from the SETI Institute.

“This is probably the last time this comet will ever be visible to us, or to anyone living on Earth....But maybe in a distant future, another intelligent species will see it coming close to their sun and their own home planet,” Dr Marchis tweeted.

Green comet photographed above Stonehenge

Friday 3 February 2023 04:06 , Vishwam Sankaran

The comet ZTF that previously passed by Earth during the Stone Age was photographed for the first time over Stonehenge.

ZTF last hurtled past the planet about 50,000 years ago long before early humans built the stone circle.

It is currently at it closest position relative to the Earth, zooming past the Earth at about 57km/s at a distance of just 26 million miles.

Astronomers say the object would look like a “fuzzy green ball” or a “smudge” in the night sky.

Andrew Griffin reports

What does the ‘exotic’ green comet look like in the night sky?

ICYMI: How green comet's brightness compares to others in history

Friday 3 February 2023 03:46 , Vishwam Sankaran

The comet ZTF’s brightness is estimated to be about a magnitude of about +6 which could make it almost visible to the naked eye.

Astronomers measure the brightness of objects in the sky using a scale of apparent magnitude in which brighter objects have greater negative number and dimmer ones have greater positive values.

The brightest planet Venus, for instance, has a magnitude of around -3 to -4, and the Sun has a magnitude of –26.

The famous Halley’s comet had a magnitude of about +2 during its 1986 passby, and the comet Bennett, discovered in 1969 had a +8.5 magnitude.

ICYMI: What does the ‘exotic’ green comet look like in the night sky?

Friday 3 February 2023 01:30 , Josh Marcus

For the first time in 50,000 years, a stunning green comet has skipped past Earth, making a remarkably close approach.

The flyby was close enough to be visible to the naked eye, and bright enough to be captured in stunning images taken from the Earth.

For those who saw it, the green comet looked like a flaming verdant star, hovering in the sky. But for many others, the comet might not have been visible at all: without the right conditions and work, it might not be visible at all.

Don Pollacco, a professor from the department of physics at the University of Warwick, said that anyone looking to see it would need “a clear sky, binoculars and a bit of luck”. The waxing Moon means that the comet could be hard to spot.

Andrew Griffin reports.

Green comet glows in London sky

Thursday 2 February 2023 23:34 , Graeme Massie

Footage captured on Monday night from west London shows the green comet is visible from the UK capital despite the light pollution.

Twitter user @spacestationguy said he used a 10-inch dobsonian scope and Sony A7S camera to get the shot of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Weather over the UK means no spottings were possible last night, and may also be hampered by cloud cover tonight too.

You can see the video from Monday here:

Watch a live stream of the green comet from last night

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:58 , Graeme Massie

The Virtual Telescope Project and Telescope Live used their telescopes in Italy and Spain to capture Comet C/2022 E3 in real-time last night.

They shared a stream of it on their YouTube channel, allowing anyone in the world to watch it for free.

You can watch the live stream here:

Nasa shares December image of green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:25 , Graeme Massie

Nasa’s Goddard flight centre has shared an image of the green comet, taken all the way back in December.

The US space agency tweeted the image to mark the day that Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is at its closest point to Earth, known as its perigee.

“This comet was discovered in March 2022 by Bryce Bolin, a NASA postdoctoral fellow at Goddard and Frank Masci, a senior scientist at Caltech,” Nasa notes. “They used the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility.”

Although the comet is now heading away from us, it is still visible to anyone in the northern hemisphere, so long as the weather conditions are favourable.

Where you can see the green comet in UK and US

Thursday 2 February 2023 19:38 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Weather forecasts for central and southern United States suggest ideal viewing conditions for the green comet, with clear skies stretching all the way from Chicago to El Paso.

Weather forecast for the night of 2 February, 2023 (The Weather Channel)
Weather forecast for the night of 2 February, 2023 (The Weather Channel)

Weather in the rest of the country is not great for seeing the comet, although it’s nowhere near as bad as the UK.

Unfortunately for people in the UK and Ireland, there is near-total cloud cover tonight, according to the Met Office. Anyone hoping to see Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will have to wait until Saturday night to catch a glimpse of it.

UK and Ireland weather forecast for midnight, 2 February, 2023 (Met Office)
UK and Ireland weather forecast for midnight, 2 February, 2023 (Met Office)

Green comet images show progress across sky over a fortnight

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:45 , Anthony Cuthbertson

We have more photos of the green comet, this time from Imran Sultan, an astrophysics student at the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics at Northwestern University.

The images were taken between 19 January and 1 February, 2023.

 (Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
(Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
 (Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
(Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
 (Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
(Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
 (Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)
(Imran Sultan/Northwestern University)

Digital telescopes capture stunning images of green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:49 , Anthony Cuthbertson

We’ve received some great photos of the green comet taken by amateur astronomers.

The four below were taken by Nelson Decker, Scott Kardel, Jeffrey D’Elia and Didier Cowen, who were all using Unistellar telescopes.

The digital telescopes are described by Unistellar as “nearly foolproof” for even novice skywatchers, allowing them to track and capture objects in the sky through a companion app.

 (Nelson Decker)
(Nelson Decker)
 (Scott Kardel)
(Scott Kardel)
 (Jeffrey D’Elia)
(Jeffrey D’Elia)
 (Didier Cowen)
(Didier Cowen)

Green comet that will be visible from Earth for first time since ice age is undergoing unusual changes

Friday 3 February 2023 01:33 , Josh Marcus

A green comet that will be visible from Earth for the first time since the Ice Age appears to be undergoing unusual changes.

Comet ZTF has created excitement in recent weeks as it has hurtled towards Earth, coming close enough to the planet that it should be visible to the naked eye. It will be the first close approach for 50,000 years, and reached its closest point on 1 February.

New pictures of the object appear to show that its tail has become detached. Images taken by comet hunter Michael Jäger, for instance, make it look as if the tail is breaking off.

Andrew Griffin reports.

‘Something unusual’ is happening to a rare green comet that is coming towards Earth

Best night for viewing green comet in the UK

Thursday 2 February 2023 11:07 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Unfortunately for UK sky gazers, the cloud cover that blocked the green comet last night is set to continue this evening.

The latest forecasts from the Met Office show the whole of the UK and Ireland covered in cloud on Thursday and Friday evening.

The good news is the cloud will almost comletely clear on Saturday night, offering great views of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Here is the current forecast for midnight tonight:

UK and Ireland weather forecast for midnight, 2 February, 2023 (Met Office)
UK and Ireland weather forecast for midnight, 2 February, 2023 (Met Office)

And this is the forecast for 4am on Sunday morning:

UK and Ireland weather forecast for 4am, 5 February, 2023 (Met Office)
UK and Ireland weather forecast for 4am, 5 February, 2023 (Met Office)

Space photographer captures stunning images of green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 09:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Space photographer Miguel Claro has captured several stunning images of the green comet from the Dark Sky Alqueva Observatory in Portugal.

The astrophotographer has even made a video of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)’s progress across the night’s sky.

The SETI Institute notes that “something unusual” is happening with the comet’s green and blue tail, as the long ion trail experiences something known as a disconnection event.

The images and footage has been shared on social media, which you can see below.

Green comet spotted over Greece

Thursday 2 February 2023 07:54 , Graeme Massie

A view of a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), over Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
A view of a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), over Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
The moon is seen through the open canopy of the Kryoneri Observatory, before the telescope tracks a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), in Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
The moon is seen through the open canopy of the Kryoneri Observatory, before the telescope tracks a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), in Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
Post doctoral researcher Alexios Liakos talks to senior researcher Manolis Xylouris, as they track a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from the telescope of the Kryoneri observatory, in Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
Post doctoral researcher Alexios Liakos talks to senior researcher Manolis Xylouris, as they track a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from the telescope of the Kryoneri observatory, in Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)

How bright was green comet compared to others in history

Thursday 2 February 2023 07:25 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet ZTF is currently at its closest position relative to the Earth, zooming past the planet at about 57km/s at a distance of merely 26 million miles.

Its brightness has been estimated to be at a magnitude of about +6 – almost the threshold of what can be visible to the naked eye – and is also expected to be the brightest such space rock to zoom past Earth this year.

The brightness of objects in the sky is measured on a scale of apparent magnitude by astronomers.

The brighter an object, the greater its negative number and the dimmer it is, the greater will be the positive number.

For instance, the sun has –26 magnitude compared with the full moon whose magnitude is around –13 magnitude to the naked eye.

The brightest planet in the sky – Venus – is estimated to have a magnitude of about -3 to -4, and large comets that achieve a similar brightness are unofficially called great comets.

The comet Bennett, discovered by amateur astronomer John Caister Bennett in 1969, was a magnitude 8.5 object.

The 1986 visit by the famous Halley’s comet had a magnitude of about +2 while its next pass expected in July 2061 is estimated to likely have a fairly spectacular brightness of about –0.3.

The comet Bennett, discovered in 1969 by South African amateur astronomer John Caister Bennett, was a magnitude 8.5 object when it was first identified.

Some of the faintest stars visible to the unaided eye have magnitudes of about 6.5.

Spectacular images shared of the ‘exotic’ green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 07:01 , Graeme Massie

If you’re yet to catch a glimpse of the green comet, we’ve got a round-up of images captured by professional and amateur astronomers in recent days.

One picture, from the New Scientist’s Abby Beall, was notable not for its spectacular nature but for its help in seeing the comet. As she noted, the comet might not actually be easily visible – but spotting it might be possible using a phone, as well as the helpful map that she assembled.

 (via Reuters)
(via Reuters)
 (Christopher Becke/SCI + TECH/TMX)
(Christopher Becke/SCI + TECH/TMX)

You can see all of the pictures here:

What does the ‘exotic’ green comet look like in the night sky?

ICYMI: How green comet was first discovered

Thursday 2 February 2023 06:40 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was found in March 2022 by astronomers from the Zwicky Transient Facility.

Researchers used ZTF’s robotic camera and software developed by staff scientist Frank Masci to detect a moving object.

It was initially thought to be an asteroid, but the space rock’s condensed coma and its trajectory indicated it was a comet.

“This particular object was spotted because of its motion in a sequence of images taken by ZTF,” said Tom Prince, professor of physics from the Keck Institute for Space Studies.

“At the time it was discovered, it was not known to be a comet. That came later after follow-up observations by many telescopes worldwide,” Dr Prince said.

The comet has come closest to Earth today at about 41 million km (26 million miles) away, and after that, it is expected to disappear into the darkness of space, likely never to be seen by humans again.

ICYMI: Green comet may never fly past Earth again

Thursday 2 February 2023 06:18 , Vishwam Sankaran

Scientists studying the green comet’s orbit trajectory say it is in an open “hyperbolic orbit,” meaning it may not return to the inner Solar System again.

Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the UK Royal Astronomical Society, told Newsweek that the comet’s orbit shape looks like a “very open curve.”

Astronomers, including Franck Marchis from the SETI Institute, also say the comet may “soon escape the Solar System entirely” due to its orbit.

“This is probably the last time this comet will ever be visible to us, or to anyone living on Earth....But maybe in a distant future, another intelligent species will see it coming close to their sun and their own home planet,” Dr Marchis tweeted.

“In that sense, this comet is carrying a piece of us – of all humanity – into the cosmos,” he said.

Watch the green comet’s orbital path

Thursday 2 February 2023 06:05 , Graeme Massie

The green comet is currently making its closest path of Earth in 50,000 years. This graphic, made using Nasa and JPL-Caltech data, shows the path of the green comet as it passes through the solar system.

You can find an excellent indepth visual explainer on the comet right here.

ICYMI: What comet's green colour reveals about its chemical composition

Thursday 2 February 2023 05:52 , Vishwam Sankaran

Based on the green colour of the comet ZTF, astronomers say it contains molecules like diatomic carbon and cyanogen.

Diatomic carbon (C2) is a green, gaseous chemical with the formula C=C and is known to occur in the carbon vapour in comets.

While many comets glow green as they zoom past the Earth’s sky, it had for long remained a mystery why this hue never reached their tails.

Scientists as early as the 1930s had theorised that diatomic carbon that was created by the interaction of sunlight’s UV radiation and organic matter on the comet’s head was being further destroyed leading to the colour.

But the theory hadn’t been tested until late 2021 as diatomic carbon is not stable.

Timothy Schmidt, a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales, demonstrated in 2021 the mechanism by which the dicarbon molecule is broken up by sunlight.

“The green colour comes from C2, which is itself a breakdown product of larger molecules in the snowball. The C2 breaks down into C atoms in a few days. The green is due to C2 absorbing and emitting light in a process known as fluorescence,” Dr Schmidt explained in a tweet on Tuesday.

What comet studies have revealed about early Solar System

Thursday 2 February 2023 05:16 , Vishwam Sankaran

Studying the chemical composition of comets like ZTF have unravelled several secrets about the formation of the Solar System.

ZTF belongs to a category called long-period comets that are known to emerge from a shell of space debris in the outermost stretches of the Solar System called the Oort cloud.

The Oort cloud hasn’t actually been viewed by astronomers, but is theorised to be a vast, spherical shell made of icy debris, some of which may be as old as the Solar System itself.

A recent study, surveying gases like carbon monoxide and water vapour in 25 comets, suggested that analysis of these molecules from comets could trace the chemical composition of the early Solar System.

Scientists could unravel insights about early solar systems based on the ratio of certain molecules present after outgassing from comets.

The research found, for instance, that comets very far from the sun that have never, or only rarely, orbited near the sun, produced more CO2 than CO, whereas those that have made many several trips close to the sun do the opposite.

Timelapse shows green comet pass over night sky

Thursday 2 February 2023 05:03 , Graeme Massie

Seeing the green comet can be tricky, even when you know where to look and the weather is good.

Capturing it for a timelapse video, however, is almost impossible. It requires no light pollution, clear skies and a specialist setup like this one. But the results are spectacular:

Next best viewing date for green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 04:49 , Vishwam Sankaran

Although the green comet is making its closest approach to the Earth today, it may not be easy to view for many due to a bright moon and cloudy skies.

However, on 10 February, the comet would sweep next to Mars and this will also be after February’s full moon.

“The moon is bright tonight, making it difficult to find the comet with the naked eye. On Feb 10th, the comet will be slightly above Mars, as seen in this star chart from EarthSky,” The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) joint facility tweeted.

Strange phenomenon on green comet's tail explained

Thursday 2 February 2023 04:02 , Vishwam Sankaran

Usually, comets have two tails – one that is made of ionised gas and another of dust.

The ion tail can be spotted as the small molecules on its side glow via fluorescence.

In the dust tail, large grains scatter the Sun’s UV light in all directions.

These two tails point in slightly different directions as the forces act on dust and ions in different ways.

But astronomers across the world reported a “third tail” on the green comet ZTF, which has been found to be just an “optical illusion.”

“Recently, a strange phenomenon has occurred with comet ZTF as it appears to have a third tail. This is, in fact, an optical illusion, due to our point of view of the dust trail,” European Space Agency’s Jorge Amaya explained.

Meteorologist on how best to view green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 03:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

There are few more days left when one can view the green comet zoom past Earth, says Milwaukee meteorologist Mark Baden.

The comet ZTF will still be visible in the days leading to 10 February, appearing in the night sky as a faint green smudge.

If the weather is favourable and clear with fewer clouds, one may see the comet in the night sky right of the north star.

People may still need binoculars or a telescope to view the comet.

Palaeontologist on what humans were like last time ZTF zoomed past Earth

Thursday 2 February 2023 03:38 , Vishwam Sankaran

The last time the green comet ZTF hurtled past Earth, Neanderthals may have seen its green tail “if they looked up from their cookfires,” says paleoecologist Jacquelyn Gill from the University of Maine in the US.

Dr Gill, who specialises in research on how the planet has changed since the last ice age, says modern humans – Homo sapiens – were just entering Europe when ZTF zoomed past Earth previously about 50,000 years ago.

“Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world, in Spain and Indonesia, date to this time,” she tweeted.

The human family tree during this time still had several more branches.

In addition to Homo sapiens, Dr Gill says, we had “Neanderthals, Denisovans, Floresians, maybe even others” when ZTF last flew past Earth.

ESA attempts to study green comet using X-ray satellite

Thursday 2 February 2023 03:16 , Vishwam Sankaran

The European Space Agency tweeted that it has been studying the green comet ZTF using its X-ray satellite XMM Newton in orbit since 1999.

Researchers had expected ZTF to be one of the brightest comets observed because of its bright green hue.

However, “disappointingly” the comet “barely showed up in the X-ray,” ESA said.

But the space agency noted that the observations and results are still “scientifically very valuable.”

Where best to see the green comet in the US

Thursday 2 February 2023 03:02 , Graeme Massie

With the UK and Ireland completely covered in cloud tonight, at least people in the US will have a better chance of seeing the green comet.

Severe winter storms will make it impossible for people in the South to see for the next few days, but a bit further west will see ideal conditions. Forecasts from The Weather Channel show that the best views will be from the South West and Pacific Coast regions of the United States.

Tonight will see clear skies all the way from Los Angeles in California to Denver in Colorado.

Here’s the full forecast for tonight:

 (The Weather Channel)
(The Weather Channel)

Tips for seeing green comet

Thursday 2 February 2023 02:01 , Graeme Massie

Mike Narlock, the head astronomer at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, told The Dearborn Press & Guide about the best way to spot the green comet.

– Go outside after dark.

– Look for the Little Dipper constellation. This will help you locate the North Star, also known as Polaris, at the end of the handle.

– Above the North Star, you will find the constellation Camelopardalis, commonly called the giraffe. The green comet is visible inside that constellation.

– If you must look for the comet without any devices, try using peripheral vision.

Live stream of green comet to be hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project

Thursday 2 February 2023 01:01 , Graeme Massie

The UK and Ireland are almost completely covered by cloud this evening, while large parts of the US will also find it difficult to see the green comet as winter storms sweep across the southeast.

Fortunately for those unable to witness Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF in the night sky, the Virtual Telescope Project will be hosting a live stream as it passes overhead. The project, setup by the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy, consists of several robotic telescopes around the world that offer free views of the universe that are available for all to watch.

You’ll be able to find the live stream here when the broadcast begins in a few hours.

What impacts how bright a comet is?

Thursday 2 February 2023 00:01 , Graeme Massie

According to Nasa, “how bright a comet appears depends both on what we can predict, how close it is to the Earth and how close it is to the Sun, and on what we cannot predict, how much gas and dust it is giving off.”

 (Óscar Martín Mesonero (Organización Salmantina de la Astronáutica y el Espacio))
(Óscar Martín Mesonero (Organización Salmantina de la Astronáutica y el Espacio))

How green comet appeared over California

Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:32 , Graeme Massie

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visible in the sky above the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernadino County as it approaches Earth for the first time in about 50,000 years on January 31, 2023 near Baker, California. The comet was discovered on March 2, 2022, and will be at its closest point to Earth on February 1, 2023. Its orbit extends far out into our solar system and has a green aura because it is passing close enough to the sun for the outgassing of its diatomic carbon molecules to react with the solar wind. (Getty Images)
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visible in the sky above the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernadino County as it approaches Earth for the first time in about 50,000 years on January 31, 2023 near Baker, California. The comet was discovered on March 2, 2022, and will be at its closest point to Earth on February 1, 2023. Its orbit extends far out into our solar system and has a green aura because it is passing close enough to the sun for the outgassing of its diatomic carbon molecules to react with the solar wind. (Getty Images)

Where to look to see the green comet this week

Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:04 , Graeme Massie

Wednesday night will be the worst night all week for people in the UK and Ireland to see the green comet, with the British Isles completely covered in clouds. However, the coming days will see the skies clear a bit, with forecasts from the Met Office suggesting that Friday will perhaps offer the best chance for many.

Here’s where to look in the night’s sky over the coming days:

Wednesday, 1 February: Look towards the constellation Camelopardalis

Thursday, 2 February - Saturday, 4 February: Between the constellations Camelopardalis and Auriga

Sunday, 5 February: The green comet will be near the star Capella in the constellation Auriga, however the full Moon may obstruct the view

Details on the green comet

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:27 , Graeme Massie

Green comet seen from the island of Gran Canaria,

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:31 , Graeme Massie

A green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed by our planet about 50,000 years ago, is seen from the Pico de las Nieves, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)
A green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed by our planet about 50,000 years ago, is seen from the Pico de las Nieves, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)

Timelapse shows green comet moving across the sky

Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:09 , Anthony Cuthbertson

This is one of the best timelapses of the green comet I’ve seen so far. It perfectly illustrates how it moves across the night’s sky.

Captured by astrophotographe Matt Graves, you can see just how far it travels in less than an hour. Hopefully we’ll be getting more like this from some of the big observatories in the coming hours and days.

You can watch it here:

Share your photos of the green comet

Wednesday 1 February 2023 13:47 , Anthony Cuthbertson

If you have any photos of the green comet, you can email me (anthony.cuthbertson@independent.co.uk) or share them with me at @ADCuthbertson on Twitter (my DMs are open) and I’ll post them here.

Green comet sightings hampered by cloud on Wednesday night

Wednesday 1 February 2023 11:39 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Weather forecasts from the Met Office suggest that viewing conditions for the green comet tonight in the UK and Ireland will be terrible.

Shortly after sunset, clouds rolling in from the Atlantic will nearly completely cover the British Isles, leaving only a sliver of clear skies in eastern Scotland. Even that won’t last for long, with the early morning of hours on Thursday seeing rain and cloud over all of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Here’s how the sky will look at 4am on the morning of Thursday, 2 February, according to the latest weather forecasts:

 (Met Office)
(Met Office)

Watch the green comet drift across US sky

Wednesday 1 February 2023 10:10 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Footage posted to Twitter by Christopher Becke in Williamsburg shows the green comet in the sky above Virginia.

The amateur astronomer said the comet’s movement was captured by taking a series of 60 second exposures and stitching them together to create the video.

“10 minutes of comet E3 drifting among the stars (brightness due to some passing clouds),” he wrote.

Timelapses are a great way to get a sense of the green comet’s movement in relation to the stars and constellations in the background.

What green comet looks like through telescope

Wednesday 1 February 2023 07:01 , Graeme Massie

 (via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)
 (via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)

Astronomers, amateurs share photos of green comet as it makes closest approach to Earth

Wednesday 1 February 2023 06:45 , Vishwam Sankaran

Amateur space photographers and astronomers share photos of the green comet on Twitter as it makes close approach to Earth.

How green comet ZTF was discovered

Wednesday 1 February 2023 06:13 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was found in March 2022, the discovery largely attributed to astronomers Bryce Bolin and Frank Masci.

While it was initially thought to be an asteroid, the space rock’s condensed coma – its nebulous envelope – indicated it was a comet.

The comet was spotted in a twilight survey by the Caltech-led project the Zwicky Transient Facility.

For the survey, ZTF uses a special camera to take images nearly every 30 seconds through the Palomar Observatory’s forty-eight-inch telescope.

Researchers have taught machine-learning algorithms to detect moving objects in the sky by analysing these images.

“On March 2nd, all we knew was that we had found a moving object. We reported it to the Minor Planet Center – they are the clearing house for these things,” Tom Prince, one of the lead scientists on the project, told The New Yorker.

Pictures of green comet posted to social media

Wednesday 1 February 2023 06:09 , Graeme Massie

Nasa decodes distinctive shape of green comet

Wednesday 1 February 2023 05:44 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) hurtling past Earth over the last month has been spotted to have not just one or two tails, but three.

Nasa notes in a blog post that the comet not only has a common dust tail, an ion tail, as well as a green gas coma, but also a rare distinctive anti-tail.

While the dust and ion tails are seen trialing comets, the ZTF’s anti-tail was seen seemingly leading the comet.

This anti-tail, seen in some photographs, is an illusion caused by the Earth moving through the comet’s orbital plane.

“The anti-tail does not actually lead the comet, it is just that the head of the comet is seen superposed on part of the fanned-out and trailing dust tail,” Nasa noted.

Triple view of comet ZTF (Javier Caldera & Miguel Gracia/Nasa)
Triple view of comet ZTF (Javier Caldera & Miguel Gracia/Nasa)

ZTF is currently visible all night long from northern latitudes, but is expected to fade from observation during the next few weeks and might never return to pass by Earth.

Some estimates suggest green comet may never again pass by Earth

Wednesday 1 February 2023 05:19 , Vishwam Sankaran

Researchers say the green comet’s current orbit trajectory may see the space rock booted out of the inner Solar System to never return.

“Some predictions suggest that the orbit of this comet is so eccentric it’s no longer in an orbit—so it’s not going to return at all and will just keep going,” astronomer Jessica Lee from the Royal Observatory Greenwich told Newsweek.

While scientists do not yet have an accurate estimate of how far the comet could get from the Earth, they say if it does return, it may not for at least another 50,000 years.

Whether it returns or not may depend on the perturbations the comet may encounter from losing its mass or from any disturbances it might face while in the Oort cloud.

The green comet’s path through the sky

Wednesday 1 February 2023 05:03 , Graeme Massie

Tonight is not the only chance to see the green comet, so don’t lose hope if the weather near you is bad.

This handy map, courtesy of the MISAO Project, shows the path the comet will be taking across the sky over the coming days and weeks.

 (MISAO Project)
(MISAO Project)

The early hours of 1 February will see Comet ZTF reach its perigee, meaning it is at its closest point to Earth, but it will still be visible with the naked eye for the next few days in case you don’t get a chance to see it tonight. For a few weeks it will also be possible to see it using binoculars or a telescope.

What we know about Oort cosmic cloud from where green comet originated

Wednesday 1 February 2023 04:53 , Vishwam Sankaran

The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) making its closest pass by Earth today originated from the Oort Cloud, a cosmic shell of debris encircling the farthest reaches of the Solar System.

Scientists have long known that this region, containing billions or trillions of space debris, is the origin site of long-period comets like ZTF.

This region is thought to be a giant spherical shell encircling the Solar System like a thick-walled bubble made of icy rocks.

It is likely at a massive distance of about one-quarter to halfway from the Sun to the next star, according to Nasa.

Scientists have theorised that this region likely formed as gravity from the Solar System’s planets shoved a vast number of icy rocks away from the Sun, and gravity from the galaxy may have caused debris to settle into a border shell.

The comets from this shell can shed light on the history of the Solar System and have been seen only once in recorded history since their orbital periods are very long.

Nasa to study green comet using Webb telescope

Wednesday 1 February 2023 04:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Nasa is planning to observe the comet with its James Webb Space Telescope to unravel clues about the Solar System.

The comet may shed light on the formation of the Solar System as it likely formed during its early stages, scientists say.

It was first identified by the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility inside the orbit of Jupiter in March 2022 but was initially suspected to be an asteroid.

“We’re going to be looking for the fingerprints of given molecules that we can’t access from the ground,” planetary scientist Stefanie Milam of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland said.

“Because JWST’s so sensitive, we’re expecting new discoveries.”

Wednesday 1 February 2023 04:04 , Graeme Massie

What we know about green comet's chemical composition

Wednesday 1 February 2023 03:53 , Vishwam Sankaran

The comet’s green colour is due to the effect of sunlight on its molecules cyanogen and diatomic carbon.

The latter is a green, gaseous chemical with the chemical formula C=C that occurs in the carbon vapour in comets.

These molecules are broken down by sunlight into single carbon atoms before they move into the comet’s tail.

Thus the green colour is limited to the space rock’s icy nucleus while the tail may still appear white in contrast.