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The Last Time This Comet Came Around We Hadn’t Discovered Agriculture
You can potentially see it with your own eyes
On March 2nd, 2022, two astronomers, Bryce Bolin and Frank Masci, discovered a new object traveling through the solar system. At first, the object was designated as an asteroid. Upon further evaluation, it was determined that that object was actually a comet that was hurtling toward the sun. Further calculations revealed that the comet was going to pass extremely close to Earth as it traversed the solar system. The fact that the comet had not been discovered before raised a lot of interest in the scientific community. Since the comet had not been spotted before, it was concluded that it must have had a very long orbit.
The orbit was much longer than people anticipated. Working backward based on the movement of the comet, astronomers discovered that the last time this comet passed Earth was over 50,000 years ago. The last time the comet, now known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was spotted in the skies over Earth, neanderthals were roaming the world, humans had yet to settle down and discover agriculture, and shone over the last ice age.
Now, the comet is poised to return at the end of the month, and you can see it with the naked eye if you make plans ahead of time.
Eyes Peeled
On January 12th, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will reach its perihelion for the first time in tens of thousands of years. It will make its closest pass to the surface of the sun and continue to heat up. The comet has already been spotted, releasing an intense and unique green color in its halo. As the comet rounds the sun, it will make a pass at Earth that will bring it very close to the planet. Due to its brightness and color, there is a good chance that the comet will be visible to the naked eye and definitely be visible with binoculars or a telescope.
The comet is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth on February 1st. However, a bright moon during that week will make it hard to see the ancient comet. The comet is only supposed to brighten to a magnitude of 6, which will make it visible but faintly. The light from the waxing moon could wash it out.
