It is anticipated that a comet that only circles the sun once every 50,000 years will be visible to the unaided eye from Earth.
The Sahara desert was lush and productive during the comet’s previous visit, woolly mammoths and Neanderthals were still roaming the planet, and humans had not yet reached North America, as far as we are aware.
The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) discovered C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on March 2, 2022, and it is scheduled to make its closest approach to the sun, or perihelion, on January 12, 2023. ZTF is an astronomical survey carried out by the Californian Palomar Observatory.
Comets are “cosmic snowballs” that orbit the sun and are composed of frozen gases, dust, and rock. These delicate structures are bombarded with escalating radiation as they get closer to our star, which can result in two enormous tails of gas and dust.
Currently, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is about 117 million miles away from Earth. Early in February 2023, it is planned to make a near approach to Earth, passing within around 26 million miles of us on the first day of the month. This is equal to a distance between the Earth and the moon that is more than 109 times larger than normal.
It is extremely difficult to predict the brightness of comets with accuracy. However, according to the most recent statistics, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) should be at least magnitude +6 by the time it makes a close approach to Earth.
In terms of astronomical object brightness, the brighter an object is, the smaller its magnitude is. For instance, a magnitude +2 object is brighter than a magnitude +8 object.
“It’s notoriously hard to predict the brightness of comets, however, sky watchers everywhere have been keeping track of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) since it was discovered in March 2022, and the current prediction is that it might reach magnitude +6—the limit of what the naked eye can see—or even slightly brighter when it’s at its closest approach to the Earth on the 1st of February,” Tania de Sales Marques, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek.
According to Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the U.K. Royal Astronomical Society, under ideal circumstances, the comet, which is predicted to orbit the sun once every 50,000 years, may be seen with the unaided eye as early as the second part of January. Around February 1, the object’s estimated magnitude 4.7 peak brightness is expected.
Since NEOWISE put on a dazzling display in 2020, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be the first comet visible with the naked eye if brightness projections turn out to be accurate. But according to Massey, there shouldn’t be as high of hopes for C/2022 E3 (ZTF).
“I’ve seen rising interest in this comet, though it won’t be anything like NEOWISE,” he said.
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is currently visible with good binoculars or a telescope in the early hours of the morning before dawn and is passing through the constellation of Corona Borealis, in the north-west direction. It will get easier to spot the comet over the next few weeks as it gradually brightens.
“It’s traveling in the general direction of Polaris, the North Star, where we’ll be able to find it in early February,” Marques said. “By then, it should be visible throughout the night.”
Massey said the comet will not be the easiest object to find. He recommends looking on a clear night from a dark site—away from light pollution—when the moon is not in the sky, so it is best to avoid the days around the full moon on February 6.
“I would recommend the use of a finder chart like this one to help find it with binoculars,” Massey said. “Binoculars are ideal for beginners trying to find a comet as they’re easy to use, whereas a telescope has a much smaller field of view. If you can see it with binoculars then try with your naked eye.”
Since the comet will still be quite faint around the time of its close approach, people in areas with dark skies might be able to spot it with their own eyes, but a pair of binoculars will improve your chances of success, Marques said.
Since comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) won’t be visible again for 50,000 years, it’s still worthwhile to try to see it, even though it’s unlikely to be as impressive as comet NEOWISE.
By the second week of February in the following year, the comet will probably no longer be visible to the unaided eye. Additionally, by April, it will be much fainter and closer to the sun in the sky, making it very difficult to see even with a telescope.
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