PHOTO: Green Comet Will Appear Soon in Earth’s Sky, Maybe for First Time

A green comet with a faint ion tail that was initially spotted in March will soon show itself in Earth’s sky.

The happening may be the first time or “If C/2022 E3 has ever passed through the solar system before, it would have last been seen in the sky more than 10,000 years ago,” explained Jon Giorgini, who is a senior analyst at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NPR reported Sunday.

Astronomers first noticed it in March at California’s Zwicky Transient Facility with a photo showing its greenish blue tint:

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long period #comet that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility on 2 March 2022. #Astronomy #Astrophotography #C2022E3 pic.twitter.com/73qg9x8GY0

— Tim Morrill (@RevealTheCosmos) January 2, 2023

When it was discovered, the comet was inside Jupiter’s orbit, the NPR report said.

“On a voyage through the inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will be at perihelion, its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and at perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on February 1,” NASA reported in December.

“The brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable, but by then C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies,” the agency continued.

The comet might be seen with the naked eye when the skies are dark, but those using binoculars or telescopes have a better chance of seeing it.

Comets are made up of dust, rock, and ices, according to NASA.

“They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet. This material forms a tail that stretches millions of miles,” the agency said, adding the number of known comets currently stands at 3,743.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said recently that in January, people will be able to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn without using binoculars or a telescope:

Per the NPR article, viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the comet’s glow in the early morning skies throughout January and “The comet will likely be visible to those in the Southern Hemisphere starting early February.”