Back C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Afrikaans مذنب C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Arabic C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Byelorussian C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Catalan C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Czech C/2022 E3 (ZTF) German C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Esperanto C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Spanish C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Basque سی/۲۰۲۲ ئی۳ (زدتیاف) Persian
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:C2022_E3_(ZTF)-_Alessandro_Bianconi.jpg) C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on 27 January 2023 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Zwicky Transient Facility |
| Discovery date | 2 March 2022 |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Observation arc | 456 days |
| Number of observations | 3382 |
| Orbit type | Long-period comet |
| Aphelion | ≈2800 AU (barycentric epoch 1950)[2] |
| Perihelion | 1.112 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.999988 (barycentric epoch 2050)[3] |
| Orbital period | ≈50,000 yr (inbound)[2] Possible Ejection (outbound)[3] |
| Inclination | 109.17° |
| Last perihelion | 12 January 2023 |
| Earth MOID | 0.221 AU (33.1 million km)[4] |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.743 AU (260.7 million km) |
| Physical characteristics[4][5] | |
| Dimensions | ≈1.0 km (0.62 mi) |
| 8.5–8.7 hours | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 10.5±0.6 |
| 5.0 (2023 apparition) | |
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a non-periodic comet from the Oort cloud that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) on 2 March 2022.[1] The comet has a bright green glow around its nucleus, due to the effect of sunlight on diatomic carbon and cyanogen.[6][5] The comet's systematic designation starts with C to indicate that it is not a periodic comet, and "2022 E3" means that it was the third comet to be discovered in the first half of March 2022.[5]
The comet nucleus was estimated to be about a kilometer in size,[7] rotating every 8.5[8] to 8.7 hours.[9] Its tails of dust and gas extended for millions of kilometers and, during January 2023, an anti-tail was also visible.[10]
The comet reached its perihelion on 12 January 2023, at a distance of 1.11 AU (166 million km; 103 million mi), and the closest approach to Earth was on 1 February 2023, at a distance of 0.28 AU (42 million km; 26 million mi). The comet reached magnitude 5 and was visible with the naked eye under moonless dark skies.[11][12][13][14]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
MPEC2022-F13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
pre-perihelion-barycenterwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
post-perihelion-barycenterwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/2022 E3". JPL. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "A rare green comet is becoming visible in northern skies. How to see it without a telescope". www.usatoday.com. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Georgiou, Aristos (10 January 2023). "What makes the green comet green?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to the naked eye". France 24. 7 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "ATel #15909: Rotation period and Morphological Structures in the inner coma of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)". The Astronomer's Telegram. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "ATel #15879: Rotation period of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF from CN morphology". The Astronomer's Telegram. 30 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Understanding the Tails of Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3)". Sky & Telescope. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
COBSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
S&T20230116was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hall, Shannon (20 January 2023). "How to Watch the 'Green Comet' in Night Skies. - Comment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ Mack, Eric (23 January 2023). "Bright Green Comet Passing Earth Is Visible Now in Dark Skies". CNET. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.