Comet Last Seen 50,000 Years Ago Now Visible, Will Brighten Through January

We first touched on C/2022 E3 (ZTF) earlier this month when astronomers confirmed that the rare comet would soon be making a special appearance. Originally identified at California’s Zwicky Transient Facility last year, it’s believed to have last been seen from Earth by the Neanderthals. Just two weeks ago, astronomers thought stargazers would need binoculars to view the comet. Now they’re more optimistic.

Since passing perihelion (its closest point to the sun) on Jan. 12, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has become visible to the naked eye in a handful of areas, from the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom. As of writing, it’s near the constellation Boötes and hugging the border to Hercules. The comet is expected to continue to brighten from its current magnitude 11.0 over the next couple of weeks, perhaps even becoming this year’s brightest comet at magnitude 5.0. As the comet brightens and reaches magnitude 9.5 or lower, stargazers will be less likely to require binoculars.

The Zwicky Transient Facility where C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered. (Photo: IPAC/CalTech)

Experienced stargazers recommend looking for C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the early pre-dawn morning, though the comet’s route toward the north celestial pole and Polaris means it’ll become visible in the evening hours around Jan. 30. At this point, it’ll be approximately 26 million miles away from Earth. While it’s still recommended that people in highly light-polluted areas (like major cities) seek darker stargazing sites, those with minimal light pollution should be able to see C/2022 E3 (ZTF) without any special equipment. If you’re not quite sure how your locale’s level of light pollution measures up, you can use this map.

For those visiting or living in the southern hemisphere, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will start to become visible around Feb. 2. All hopeful stargazers can use apps like SkyPortal to locate the comet; conversely, those who’d rather stay indoors can view C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on their computers via the Virtual Telescope Project.

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