The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is closest to Earth on February 1, 2023. The best time to admire comet ZTF with the naked eye is now.
You haven’t seen Comet ZTF with the naked eye in France yet? This Wednesday, February 1, 2023 is the perfect moment. It is today that the beautiful green comet passes closest to our planet. A relative proximity, of course, because the comet passes just over 42 million km from Earth. Nevertheless, we really have to take advantage of this opportunity, because comet ZTF will probably not come back to see us again.
Since January 19, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be observed without an instrument (telescope or astronomical telescope). To access the details of his hair and his dusty tail, we can also enjoy superb photographs of comet ZTF. Astronomers estimate that the comet has a nucleus 1.6 km in diameter and its tails stretch for millions of kilometres.
Comet ZTF is between the orbits of Earth and Mars
The passage of this comet in the terrestrial neighborhood is historic. The last time C/2022 E3 (ZTF) came to visit us was 50,000 years ago, at the time of Neanderthal Man (we don’t know if it was visible then). As it approached Earth, the comet became increasingly brighter and more visible. This Wednesday, it passes between the orbits of Earth and Mars around the Sun, at the speed of 207,000 km/h.
However, we should not expect a spectacle as grandiose as that provided by the previous comets visible to the naked eye: comet Neowise during the summer of 2020, as well as comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, the most observed in the world. 20th century.
The passages of a comet in the solar system are moments as promising as they are uncertain. It’s always tricky to predict how a comet will react as it approaches the Sun — some disintegrate, like Comet Leonard in 2021. The gravitational forces of the Sun and planets can also slightly alter the trajectory of comets. Nevertheless, the approach of these objects remains a godsend for scientists: comets are icy remnants of the formation of the solar system, 4.5 billion years ago.
