Rare green comet visible in NRW – when and where?

  1. 24RHINE
  2. Rhineland & North Rhine-Westphalia

Created:

From: Maximilian Gang

Comet C/2022 E3 was discovered last year. Now you can also see it from the ground, with a bit of luck even with the naked eye.

Cologne – When a comet is visible from Earth, it is not only a special event for astronomers: Many celestial bodies are only close enough to be recognized once in thousands of years. This is also the case with comet C/2022 E3, which will soon also be visible from NRW – even without a high-tech telescope.

According to calculations, the comet was last in comparable proximity 50,000 years ago, when the Neanderthals still lived on earth. What could make for a particularly breathtaking sight: the comet appears green and, with a bit of luck, can also be seen with the naked eye.

  • When can you do that comets best see? – mid to late January
  • Where can i do that comets best see? – Important: a place with little light, so preferably just outside of big cities and from elevations
  • away when is the comet even not visible anymore? – in the middle of February

Green Comet in NRW: This is how you see it

The comet will also be in North Rhine-Westphalia be visible: “It doesn’t really matter where in Germany, or even where in Central Europe you are,” explains Sven Melchert from the association of Sternfreunde eV to 24RHEIN. But even if the region is irrelevant for visibility, the exact location is not: Cities with their lights are less suitable for viewing due to the brightened skies. That means: elevations and areas that are a little off the beaten track in big cities are ideal. In more rural areas such as in the Sauerland or on the Lower Rhine, the comet can certainly be made out easily in the sky.

Good weather conditions are important: “Of course, this only works when the sky is clear, so if you can see the stars, then the comet will also work,” says Melchert. “But you have to say: This is not such a magnificent comet as, for example, comet Neowise from summer 2020”. He describes it similarly Comet photographer Michael Jäger opposite the Frankfurter Rundschau: “The comet is only visible under a dark mountain sky, from urban areas you need a small telescope in any case”. But the celestial body has another special feature: it shimmers greenish.

Why is the comet green?

Comets can appear in different colors to the human eye. The color is determined by the chemical elements that make up the glowing celestial body. A high iron content in the boulder, for example, creates a yellowish light. A high calcium content makes the fireball appear purple.

The green shimmer of the green comet comes from the dicarbon molecule. If the comet comes close to the sun, the UV radiation ensures that the compounds mixed with ice and dust are destroyed. The resulting dicarbon then spreads in the comet’s gas envelope. The haze around the comet appears green in the light of the sun.

The fact that the comet can currently only be seen in mountain regions without a telescope is also due to the fact that, according to a study by scientists from Europe and North America, including Christopher Kyba from the Ruhr University in Bochum heard, the light pollution in the sky is increasing. According to the researchers, the sky over Europe is getting 6.5 percent brighter every year. As a result, people could see fewer and fewer stars in the sky. The same applies to celestial bodies such as the green comet.

What do you need to see the green comet?

With standard binoculars, the comet is visible almost all the time. Even a simple telescope helps. Towards the end of January, with a bit of luck, the celestial body can even be seen with the naked eye.

Green comet: when is the best time for observation?

“The best visibility time begins after mid-January, when the comet is brighter than 7 mag and the waning moon is making the sky less and less bright,” explains the House of Astronomy at the Max Planck Institute. The abbreviation “mag” stands for “magnitudo”, a measure of brightness. The unit is negatively related to the brightness, so the lower the mag value, the brighter the body to which it refers appears.

The optimal time for observation will probably be shortly before the end of January. The comet will then have almost reached its maximum at about 5.5 mag. For comparison: Under good conditions, stars with a brightness of six mag are just barely visible to the naked eye as points of light. The comet is near the north celestial pole at the end of January and can therefore be seen all night, according to the House of Astronomy.

One aspect is important for visibility: the moonlight. Therefore, another phenomenon is very advantageous for astronomy fans: Because the moon sets at the end of January in the second half of the night. With a bit of luck, this will ensure particularly spectacular images of the green comet.

Green comet also visible to the naked eye

“The maximum brightness of 5.5 mag is quite remarkable for a comet, under very dark skies you might even be able to see it with the naked eye,” the institute explains. But you have to know exactly where to find it in the sky. Locator cards can help with this.

But if you miss the period at the end of January, you still have a chance. In the second week of February in particular, those who decide late can still try: C/2022 E3 is then still about 6 mag bright. This means that it is still possible to see the comet until mid-February – albeit only with aids: “After that, the brightness of the Comets only like 7 and its time as a binocular comet is coming to an end,” explains the House of Astronomy. About a year passed from the first discovery to the disappearance in the vastness of the universe.

Astronomy: Green comet first discovered in 2022

On March 2, 2022, the Zwicky Transient Facility discovered comet C/2022 E3 for the first time, according to a statement from the House of Astronomy at the Max Planck Institute. Accordingly, the celestial body bears the abbreviation “ZTF”. At this point, the ZTF was still 4.3 astronomical units (AU) from Earth.

time of discoveryMarch 2, 2022
explorerZwicky Transient Facility at Palomar Observatory
Closest distance to the sun (perihelion)1.112 AU
Inclination of the orbital plane109.2 degrees
orbit typehyperbolic

One AU corresponds to the average distance between the earth and the sun – around 150 million kilometers. By the first of February, the celestial body will have already traveled a great distance. With a distance of 0.28 AU (about 42 million kilometers) it then reaches the smallest distance to earth. (mg) Fair and independent information about what is happening in NRW – here our free one 24RHEIN newsletter subscribe to.

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