E3: OnceInALifetime E3 Comet Which Has Nothing To Do With Gaming Is Coming Close To Earth Soon
A comet that was only just discovered in the past year will approach Earth where it may be possible to see with the naked eye as soon as later this month. And you might want to go out and look for it, as experts say the comet isn't likely to return to Earth's orbit for at least another 50,000 years.
The comet, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first seen in March 2022 via a huge telescope when it passed through Jupiter's orbit. The comet is referred to as the E3 Comet--though it has nothing to do with the big game show E3--and it comes from the Oort Cloud of the Earth's solar system. NASA says this place is "like a big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris."
The E3 comet, which experts believes dates back to 4.6 billion years ago when the solar system formed, is coming as close to Earth as it ever will on February 2. It has a bright green coma and a tail. Photographer Dan Bartlett took a photo of it using a big lens in December from June Lake, California (at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet). You can see Bartlett's images on Astrobin.
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