Scientists are encouraging residents of the Chicago area to look toward the skies this week for a “once-in-a-lifetime” event, as a comet will make its closest approach to Earth in its orbit.
The “green comet,” formally known as Comet C/2022 E3, will be visible in the night sky all week long, but by the time Wednesday arrives it will be just over 25 million miles from Earth, meaning that it could potentially be visible to the naked eye in darker areas.
According to Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, the comet will be “just slightly brighter than 6th magnitude,” meaning that it will be at the “faintest (level of light) an object can be seen without optical aid in a very clear, dark sky.”
Still, scientists say that those looking to see the comet should try to search for it with binoculars or a telescope to get a better view.
The best way to see the comet will be to look northward, with the comet tracing a path between the constellations Perseus and Auriga.
Astronomers do caution that the comet’s light could be somewhat washed out by the waxing gibbous moon, which will be making its way across the sky during the evening hours.
It should reach its brightest point on Wednesday, when it comes within 26 million miles of Earth. It will come through the orbits of Earth and Mars at a speed of approximately 128,500 miles per hour. Its nucleus is thought to be about a mile across, with its tails extending behind it by millions of miles.
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You’ll have to act quickly to see it, as it will find its way back toward Mars by Feb. 10, and then slowly disappear from the night sky, likely not returning to our Solar System for millions of years.
According to NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, gravitational tugs from the sun and the planets alter the ice ball’s path, leading to major course corrections over time.
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The comet came from what’s known as the Oort Cloud, which is located well beyond Pluto. The haven for comets, which has existed since the formation of the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago, is thought to stretch more than one-quarter of the way to the next-closest star to our solar system.
