A comet discovered just last year is finally becoming visible to skywatchers on Earth, and could become visible to the unaided eye as it gets closer.
The comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first spotted by astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022, already inside Jupiters orbit, according to NASA. It will make its closest approach to the sun on Jan. 12, then its closest approach to Earth on Feb. 2, the agency said.
Currently visible with telescopes and possibly binoculars, the comet has been photographed with a bright glow.
A video shared by Twitter user @krystlih, a skywatcher in Lakeland, Fla., captures the comets movement between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 7.
He tweeted that the images were captured “with my Sky-Watcher Quattro 150p, ASI ZWO 294 MC Pro camera.”
According to NASA, telescope imagery revealed the comets coma, which glows green due to carbon gas, blue ion tails and white dust tail. As the icy object nears the sun, it will appear fuzzier as its ice turns to gas.
The long-period comet will be visible to observers in the Northern Hemisphere during the early morning hours through January. Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see it in early February.
