A rare comet paid a visit to our planet after 50,000 years and it was a treat for stargazers. This particular comet, called C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was discovered by astronomers in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California
The rare comet could have been visible from Earth back in the stone age. This celestial occurrence would’ve been seen by the Neanderthal
The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet, popularly known as the Green Comet, has an orbit around the sun that takes it from the outer reaches of the Solar System in toward the Sun over thousands of years. Hence why it took so long to pay a visit to Earth again
The Green Comet has been nicknamed so because of its verdant glow which is thought to arise from an interaction between light from the sun and diatomic carbon
The comet is thought to have come from Oort cloud, a collection of icy bodies that are believed to exist in the farthest-flung part of the solar system
The internet is abuzz with mentions of the green comet, which on February 1 could be seen with the naked eye in many parts of the world
The Green Comet was seen in different parts of the world in the last two days. While the comet is expected to slowly fade away from the skies over this week, there may still be chances to get a glimpse of the cosmic entity over the following days
Scientists studying the green comet’s orbit trajectory say it is in an open “hyperbolic orbit,” meaning it may not return to the inner Solar System again
After passing by Earth, the comet will make its closest approach of Mars on February 10