Green Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF. PIC by Ajith Everester
Doha: The recently discovered comet called Green Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF will be closest to Earth today, and the best area to catch a glimpse of it here in the country is in Al Kharrara, located in Al Wakra.
Astrophotographer Ajith Everester of Everester Observatory told The Peninsula that residents can see the comet with their naked eyes tonight.
“We will be organising an event, with no registration needed. Location is at Al Wakra, close to Al Kharrara, and this is around 7pm,” he explained.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA said that the comet was last seen during the Neanderthal times or more than 50,000 years ago. It will come within 26 million miles or 42 million kilometers of Earth today before speeding away again.
Everester stressed that catching a glimpse of the Green Comet is “a once in a lifetime experience.” He encouraged stargazers and those who wanted to see the recently discovered comet appear in the night sky to join their group of skywatchers.
For those who are interested to join, contact the Everester Observatory on 5548 2045.
According to the Astrophotographer, although comet brightness is notoriously uncertain, tonight, C/2022 E3 ZTF could only be just barely visible to the naked eye in the dark night skies.
NASA explained that the Green Comet was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California March last year.
It further stated that the Green Comet will be closest to the planet today after being closest to the sun in the New Year and on January 12 and at perigee. The unharmful comet will hurtle at a relative speed of 128,500 mph or 207,000 kilometers per hour between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Its tails are believed to extend millions of miles from its nucleus, which is around a mile or 1.6km wide.
