The green comet that passes close to Earth every 50,000 years (and when will it be seen in Latin America)

A recently discovered bright green comet will be visible in the sky for the first time in 50,000 years during the month of January and early February.

According to NASA, the comet will be visible with binoculars to observers in the Northern Hemisphere during most of January and to those in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.

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The inhabitants of the northern hemisphere will be able to see it with binoculars as a little green glow from Thursday.

This means that in countries like Mexico it will be possible to observe this week, especially on January 21When will there be a new moon? Meanwhile, in the rest of Latin America we will have to wait until the beginning of February.

closest point

The green comet discovered for the first time in March 2022, when it was in the orbit of Jupiter, will gradually approach the Earth until it reaches the nearest point on February 2according to experts from the US space agency.

That will be the best day to see it and they recommend looking for a place far from the lights of the cities to be able to contemplate it.

Also, according to scientific media, the best time to see it would be after midnight or in the early hours of the morning before sunrise.

“Comets are notoriously unpredictable, but if this one continues its current bright trend, it will be easy to spot,” NASA said on its blog earlier this month.

“It is possible that it could become visible to the naked eye under dark skies,” they added.

The icy celestial body – named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a “very long name”, according to NASA – came close to the Sun on January 12, before coming close to Earth.

At that time the comet will be about 42 million kilometers from our planet, according to the Planetary Society.

How and where to see it

“This comet already looks like a fluffy little ball that advances through the Universe, unlike the stars that are always in the same places forming constellations,” explained Julieta, a researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). Iron Gossmann.

“They are discovered even when they are very far away because they move with respect to the stars, and this time we can see them with the naked eye in very dark places,” he added.

The author of “La astronomía en México” clarified, although as it approaches the Sun the object will increase its brightness notably, due to its position it will not be possible to observe the classic tail or tail, so people must be attentive to see it as a shiny ball.

Dan Bartlett, a retired science professor and astrophotographer, has been capturing images of the comet from his cabin near Yosemite National Park in California, calling skygazing a “humble” experience.

“I’m telling you – binoculars, dark place – you’ll see something. Bring your friends and they’ll see something once in a lifetime,” Bartlett told the BBC.

Bartlett has two “awesome telescopes” on the front porch of his June Lake home, and the clear nights and dark skies allow him to take some great photos.

“Whenever there are lakes around you, or oceans, a gentler air current is produced. Softer airflow means stars don’t twinkle as muchso you get more details,” he explains.

unique opportunity

For northern hemisphere observers who do not have a telescope, the comet will appear as a “faint greenish speck in the sky”while those who have one will be able to see the spectacular visible tail of the comet, according to the Planetary Society.

Northern observers will be able to see a bright green glow in the morning sky as the comet moves northwest during the month of January. Observers in the southern hemisphere will be able to see it in February, according to NASA.

The comet is not expected to be as “spectacular” as 2020’s NEOWISE, the brightest comet Visible from the Northern Hemisphere since 1997.

But it remains “an awesome opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from the far outer solar system,” NASA added.

The comet takes about 50,000 years to orbit the Sun, so “the opportunity to see it only comes once in a lifetime,” according to the Planetary Society.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.