In March, by using the wide-field camera of the Zwicky Transient Facility, astronomers found the Green Comet in California, San Diego Country. Lastly, it was visible about 50,000 years ago during the Stone Age, in the sky at night.
According to The Planetary Society, “Named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), the comet has an orbit around the sun that passes through the outer reaches of the solar system, which is why it’s taken such a long route — and a long time — to swing by Earth again.”
According to EarthSky, “At its nearest, the comet was predicted to be 26 million miles to 27 million miles (about 42 million kilometers to 44 million kilometers) away. Even during its closest approach, the comet was still more than 100 times the moon’s distance away from Earth.”
Viewers were able to spot the comet as it came closer to Earth, as a pastel green smear near the shining star Polaris, also called the North Star. Due to the comet’s existing positions in rotation and chemical compositions, it reflected various colors of light.
Sultan says that “In his images, Sultan was able to capture the comet’s anti-tail or material opposite the tail of the comet. Watching the comet zip through the inner solar system has created an ever-changing backdrop of the universe, where distant galaxies gleam in the background.”
Adding to it Sultan said, “The juxtaposition of our friendly visitor and galaxies hundreds of millions of light-years away really conveys how enormous our universe is.”
“This comet started its journey in the most distant parts of our Solar System and may even leave the Solar System entirely after this visit, so capturing this historic event has been extraordinary.”
Furthermore, Sultan quoted, “As amateur astronomers, we are drawn to the beauty of the universe, and rare transient events like comets, solar and lunar eclipses, conjunctions, and lunar occultations accentuate the beauty and give us the opportunity to capture once-in-a-lifetime photos.”
