CALIFORNIA: A recently discovered comet that has entered the inner solar system and is traveling toward the Sun while blazing brightly in the sky has astronomers excited. On January 12, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its closest approach to the Sun, and on February 2, it will collide with Earth.
Comets are mostly made of ice that has been covered in dark organic stuff, according to NASA. They have been dubbed "dirty snowballs," and they could hold crucial information about how our solar system came into being. The early Earth and other regions of the solar system may have received water and organic molecules from comets.
The wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility made the initial discovery of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in March of last year when it had already entered Jupiter's orbit. It was initially thought to be an asteroid, but as the Sun's influence started to vapourize the ice, it started to grow a tail. It was shining with a magnitude of 17.3 when it was found.
The icy body has maintained its brightness trend, according to Nasa, and can be seen clearly through binoculars. Under very dark skies, it may even become visible to the unaided eye.
The comet, which has a period of about 50,000 years, last appeared in Earth's skies in the Upper Paleolithic, when Neanderthals were still roaming the earth and early homo sapiens had not yet emerged.
If this comet maintains its present brightness pattern, Nasa noted in an update that it may not be as unpredictable as other comets. As the comet moves quickly toward the northwest during January and becomes visible in the Southern Hemisphere in early February, the American space agency stated that watchers in the Northern Hemisphere will locate it in the morning sky.
"It is anticipated that this comet won't be quite as spectacular as Comet NEOWISE was in 2020. However, it's still a fantastic chance to interact with a cold visitor from the furthest reaches of the solar system, "As per NASA.
Also watch: