Green Comet: Rare sky spectacle over Germany

Green comet approaching
Rare sky spectacle to see over Germany

Today, February 1st, green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on its way through the solar system closest point reach its path. Then he is at a distance of 42 million kilometers, which corresponds to almost a third of the sun-earth distance.

Rare Celestial Phenomenon: Green Comet Approaches Earth

What a special sky spectacle, which the Neanderthals were last able to observe 50,000 years ago. It was already the beginning of January green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) visible with smaller telescopes. Its head was greenish and its dust tail was yellowish. Also visible was a faint ion tail (ionized gas excited by the Sun’s ultraviolet light and driven out by the solar wind).

The comet, which is about one kilometer in diameter, then moved through several constellations and increased in brightness until it reached its full moon on January 12th point closest to the sun reached. With a brightness of magnitude 5.5 it will finally be 42 million kilometers away from us on February 1st closest point to reach. But will the green comet then also be visible to us with the naked eye?

Is there a chance to see the green comet?

While it is possible to see the green comet in the sky with binoculars or a telescope, visibility is not the best. According to other media reports, there is unfortunately only a very small chance, as the moon will increase in brightness over the coming days and observation will therefore be increasingly impaired. A quandary, because when the light of the moon dwindles again after the full moon on February 5, the green comet itself also becomes fainter.

For the very patient, however, there is still hope, as Björn Voss, director of the planetarium, reported to “Bild”. The best chance for a sighting on a moonless and cloudless evening would therefore be on February 8th, when looking towards the “Winter Hexagon” in the early evening.

Sources used: Spiegel.de, Tagesspiegel, focus.de, bild.de

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Bridget