Comet last seen during Ice Age will be visible over WA soon. Here’s when and how to watch
A comet last visible by the naked eye when Neanderthals roamed the Earth should be observable in Washington state skies again soon.
The comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is passing through the inner solar system and will get closest to the sun on Jan. 12, according to space.com. The comet will continue to travel near the Earth, making its closest passage between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.
The comet could be visible with the naked eye if it continues to brighten. Such a sight can be difficult to predict for comets, space.com states. However, even if the comet does dim a bit, it should still be visible with binoculars or a telescope for several days around its approach.
Though ancient, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was only discovered by astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility at CalTech in March 2022. The facility operates at the Palomar Observatory at California’s Palomar Mountain, about 90 minutes northeast of San Diego.
The comet has a period of about 50,000 years, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory states. As such, the last time the comet came so close to the sun and Earth was during the last Ice Age, when humans and Neanderthals existed on the planet at the same time.
It was reported in the scientific journal Space in early January 2023.
How to watch
According to NASA, observers in Washington state and throughout the northern hemisphere should be able to find the comet in the morning sky as it travels northwest in January.
Viewers should look for the comet when the moon is dim in the sky. The new moon on Jan. 21 will offer an excellent opportunity.
What are comets?
Comets consist of ice and frozen gases, along with rocks and dust left after the formation of the solar system more than 4 billion years ago. They orbit the sun in highly elliptical orbits. When a comet approaches the sun, it heats up quickly, causing some ice to turn into gas. This heated gas and dust is what forms a comet’s tail.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Comet last seen during Ice Age will be visible over WA soon. Here’s when and how to watch."
