A The comet was in the solar system about 50,000 years ago Florida will be visible in the sky through telescopes this week, NASA said.
The Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a name NASA acknowledges, that passes through the inner solar system.
It will be closest to Earth on Thursday, February 2, and all you need is a pair of binoculars, according to NASA.
“Comets are unpredictable, but if this one continues its current trend in brightness, it should be easy to spot with binoculars and visible to the unaided eye under dark skies,” according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. at the California Institute of Technology.
Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the comet in the morning sky. NASA He says. Those in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see it in early February.
The newly discovered comet was first spotted in March 2021 when it was orbiting Jupiter.
It was the last in the Solar System during the Ice Age during the Upper Paleolithic, but it is unknown if it has been seen from Earth. may have passed Outside the orbit of JupiterNASA says.
It was discovered by astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility with its Wide-Field Survey Camera.
“Since then the new long-period comet has brightened significantly and is now spreading across the foreground in the northern constellation Corona Borealis,” NASA said.
A telescope image from December 19 shows the comet’s bright green coma, or cloud surrounding its nucleus.