Nonetheless, it’s worth trying your luck tracking it down with binoculars or a telescope. And if the comet brightens to magnitude 6 or better, C/2022 E3 will be visible to the naked eye under good conditions.Īs the comet approaches the Sun this week, a waning gibbous Moon dominates the early-morning sky, cutting down on visibility. The comet’s brightness now stands at about magnitude 7, making it easily visible through binoculars or any small telescope. Plus, comets can always surprise us with unexpected outbursts, so it’s worth following C/2022 E3’s progress to see what it will do! How to see comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)Ĭurrently visible to observers in the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to view C/2022 E3 is in the early morning just a few hours before dawn. Still, even without a tail, the comet will be a memorable sight. At this point, many observers and astrophotographers hope C/2022 E3 will reach naked-eye magnitudes as it skims through a particularly rich region of the sky near the northern pole, setting the scene for some gorgeous photos.Įven at its brightest, however, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is not expected to form a bright, long tail that’s visible without a telescope. The comet’s brightness is predicted to peak around Feb 1, when it makes its closest approach to Earth by passing within about 0.28 AU of our planet. (One astronomical unit, or AU, is the average Earth-Sun distance.)Īlthough being closer to the Sun can make some comets intrinsically brighter, at perihelion, C/2022 E3 will still sit 0.71 AU from Earth, meaning it likely won’t reach naked-eye visibility at this time.Īfter rounding the Sun, C/2022 E3 will continue to grow brighter through the end of the month. 12, when it comes within 1.1 astronomical unit of our star. The comet will make its closest approach to the Sun, or reach perihelion, on Jan. That’s because they were discovered by the same facility.Ĭ/2022 E3 began its long journey in the far outer reaches of the solar system, within the Oort Cloud. You may have noticed many other comets have the acronym ZTF in their names, too. Where did Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) come from?Ĭomet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first discovered in March 2022 by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which scans the entire Northern Hemisphere sky once every two days from Palomar Observatory in California. Here’s everything you need to know to view Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as it treks through the sky. Then, after zipping around the Sun, it will make its closest approach to Earth on Wednesday, Feb. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its closest approach to the Sun on Thursday, Jan. The year is off to a great start for comet hunters, as what could be the best comet of 2023 is now set to take center stage in January and February.
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