A comet that may be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye will visit Earth at the beginning of the next century.
The comet is travelling through the inner solar system. On January 12th it will make its closest approach to the sun and then on February 1st and February 2nd it will make its closest approach to Earth.
It can be seen in dark skies if the comet continues to improve. Even if the comet fades, it will still be visible with binoculars or a telescope for a few days around its close approach.
There are 12 best night sky events to see in the years to come.
As the comet moves in the direction of the northwest during January, observers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see it. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see C/2022 E3 in February of next year.
The new moon on January 21 is a good time to look for C/2022 E3 when the moon is not full. The comet will be in the Camelopardalis constellation during its close approach.
Our guides for the best telescopes and best binoculars are a good place to start. Our guide on how to photograph the moon is one of the things you should check out if you want to take a photo of the moon.
The comet has a period of 50,000 years. It came so close to the sun that it was the last time it happened.
The last humans that could have seen C/2022 E3 were early humans. The last Neanderthals died out around 10,000 years after the last perihelion of C/2022 E3.
The Neanderthals and early humans wouldn't have known what the comet was until recently. The comet was seen by a camera at the Transient Facility.
The comet C/2022 E3 was initially thought to be an asteroid, but soon became a comet. At the time of its discovery, C/2022 E3 had a magnitude of 17 and was expected to reach a magnitude 6 by the end of the year.
Current images show a coma, a halo of gas and dust, and a cometary tail that extends from its main body.
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