The arrival of a new powerful star in the solar system, it will be seen again after 50 thousand years
A rare green comet, or dwarf star, is on its way to our solar system thousands of years later, and on February 1st in the northern half of the planet, it will likely be visible to the naked eye.
This comet will pass close to the earth for the first time in 50,000 years and may remain around it for a month.
NASA officials say that this icy comet was first observed in March 2022 when it was close to the orbit of the planet Jupiter.
With a handheld camera, it would be visible as a small green glowing object.
NASA scientist Dr. Stephanie Milam said, ‘We want to detect the presence or absence of certain molecules in it, such as water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, etc.’
The emerald-green glow of this comet is a clue to the chemical substances present in it, which is the result of sunlight hitting the carbon dioxide present in it.
Scientists say that it will be closest to the Earth on February 1st.
NASA said in one of its blogs that ‘comets are extremely difficult to predict, but if it maintains this trend of increasing its light, then it will be easy to see.’
‘It is also possible that this dark sky can be seen even with the naked eye.’
The name of this comet is 2022 EI Three (ZTF) and it was closest to the Sun on January 12 and will be closest to Earth on February 1.
According to The Planetary Society, at this time it will be only four crore 20 lakh kilometers away from the earth.
‘balls of mud and snow’
Comets are big balls made of ice, mud and rock and they come from a ring of icy material outside the outer edge of our Solar System called the Oort Cloud.
The center of comets is based on rock, ice and water and around them there is an outer space based on ice and soil which is called coma. When they get close to the Sun, due to the rays of the Sun, a wave of gas and dust comes out of them, which gives it a smoky breath. That is why they are also called although they are not stars.
The gravity of many objects present in the Solar System pulls them from the Oort Cloud and brings them here, and as they approach closer to the Sun, their brightness starts increasing. About a dozen comets are discovered each year by observatories around the world.
How did this green comet get its name?
This comet was discovered by the Zoe Transit Facility in the US state of California, hence its name is 2022 EI Three (ZTF).
You may have noticed that some other comets have ZTF in their names, this is because they were discovered by the same observatories.
This comet takes about 50,000 years to orbit the Sun, so according to The Planetary Society, ‘this is an opportunity that comes only once in our lifetimes’.
How can it be seen?
According to The Planetary Society, if people in the northern half of the world see it without a telescope, they will see it as ‘a dull and green spot in the sky’, while people with a telescope will be able to see its beautiful tail.
NASA says that now that the comet is moving northwest, it will be visible in the morning sky for people living in the northern half of the world.
If you also want to see this comet, then it is necessary to choose a place away from population and artificial lights.
NASA plans to observe the comet with the James Webb Space Telescope, which could potentially yield important information about the origins of the Solar System.
