Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow and saw a shadow banishing a green comet from the night sky for 50,000 years.
Okay, okay, that’s not what happened. But when Groundhog poked its head out on February 2, however, the comet, trailing a million-mile-long tail through space, was the closest to Earth since the Stone Age, according to NASA astronomers. I was in the middle of doing it. And it is unlikely to return to the original for another 50,000 years or more.
Either way, folks, it’s going to be a long winter.
NASA’s Hubble confirms largest comet ever seen
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A harmless comet discovered last March(opens in new window) In Jupiter’s orbit is a bright ball of ice, dust, and rock. Hundreds of years ago, comets were considered bad omens, like the dark silhouettes of overgrown Pennsylvania rodents. According to legend, Pope Callistus III excommunicated Halley’s Comet in his 1456 as a “devil’s instrument.”(opens in new window) Although Catholic priests disputed it as a myth in a 1908 article(opens in new window) was announced in popular astronomy.
Scientists today know that these glacial bodies are ancient relics of our solar system, left over from the early days when the planets around Earth were just forming. A time capsule of creation 4.5 billion years ago.
The dirty snowball has been officially named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) by the Minor Planet Center.(opens in new window)It gets its color from the carbon in the gas cloud around its head.Its emerald hue can only be seen on camera, like the above photo taken by Imran Sultan, a graduate student at Northwestern University.(opens in new window), who studies astrophysics.his image [another below] It showcases the comet’s greenish orb, chunky dust tail, and long, faint gas tail.
green comet
Credit: Imran Sultan / Northwestern University
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Astronomers describe comets as “close” because they may be visible with the naked eye or binoculars depending on weather and light pollution, but space is a big place. Still about 26 million miles away. there is(opens in new window) Not a threat to Earth.
Stargazers should be able to catch a glimpse of the comet over the next few days(opens in new window) By looking at the North Star with good binoculars under a dark sky, according to the European Space Agency. Without the camera, it would look blurry and colorless, not green, the agency said.
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People in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to see the iceberg in flight sometime around the weekend of February 4th. Astronomers are advised to make sure the star is near Mars on Friday, February 10th.
Comet is not as spectacular as NEOWISE(opens in new window) Brightest comet since Hale-Bopp returns in 2020(opens in new window) in the 1990s.But an explanatory video(opens in new window)Preston Dyches of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said it was worth watching.
“It’s a great opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from the far, far outer solar system,” he said.
