A rare green comet is slowly moving through the skies above Earth, including above India, after surviving its orbit around the Sun. Astrophotographers have successfully captured the comet in all its glory around the world. It is important to note that Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be 42 million kilometres from Earth, which is the closest it has been, as it continues its journey beyond the Solar System.
As per the latest details, the rare green comet has been spotted in the skies above the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle.
The rare green comet was hurtling between the orbits of Earth and Mars at a speed of approximately 2,07,000 kilometres per hour. People should note that comets mostly consist of ice coated with dark organic material. They are usually referred to as dirty snowballs that can provide important information about the solar system.
They provide important clues that help to know more about the formation of our solar system so it is important to study comets. The rare green comet was seen recently from Ladakh.
Rare Green Comet: Important Details
Researchers have found out that the nucleus of the rare green comet is approximately 1.6 kilometres across and its tail extends millions of kilometres in the vacuum of space.
It is important to note that the comet isn't likely to be as bright as Neowise which was seen in 2020 or Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the mid to late 1990s.
The comet is green from all the carbon in the gas cloud or coma around the nucleus. One should note that this long-period comet was first discovered last March by astronomers.
They used the Zwicky Transient Facility, which is a wide-field camera at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, to discover the comet.
Scientists have done their orbital calculations and they are certain that the comet was last seen 50,000 years ago. The last time this rare green comet was seen, modern humans were yet to evolve.
The comet is likely to brighten as it comes closer and rises higher over the horizon by the end of January. These are all the latest details about the comet you must know if you are interested in watching it. The comet will be near Mars by 10 February.
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