This Article is From Dec 31, 2022

This Comet Could Be Visible To Naked Eye In January, February 2023

This new comet was discovered in March last year while it was in Jupiter's orbit. Its current path will bring it close to the sun on January 12.

This Comet Could Be Visible To Naked Eye In January, February 2023

Comet C/2022 E3 could be visible to the naked eye under dark skies.

All astrophiles already have something to look forward to in 2023. Throughout the cold months of January and February, Comet C/2022 E3 could be visible to the naked eye under dark skies, as it approaches Earth, as per NASA. If this occurs, it will be the first comet to be visible to the naked eye since Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE passed the Earth in 2020.

Comets are "cosmic snowballs" that orbit the sun and are composed of frozen gases, dust and rock. These objects are bombarded with increasing radiation doses as they get closer to our star, which causes gases and debris to be released.

This new comet was discovered in March last year while it was in Jupiter's orbit. Its current path will bring it close to the sun on January 12. According to the American space agency, it will be closest to Earth on February 2, at a distance of 26.4 million miles (42.5 million kilometres). 

In January, the comet should be visible in the Northern Hemisphere's early morning skies. It will move toward the northwest and pass between the Little and Big Dippers before the month's end. Humans may be able to see the comet with the naked eye by the second part of January. Anyone in the southern hemisphere might expect to see the comment by early February. 

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As per Newsweek, by the time of its close approach to Earth, the comet is predicted to be at least magnitude +6-roughly the brightest that the human eye can see-or possibly even a little bit brighter. Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director of the UK Royal Astronomical Society, told Newsweek, "The current prediction is that the comet will reach magnitude +5 around the start of February." Mr Massey added, "So far, the observed brightness is in line with that model."

This comet will move away from the sun and inner solar system once it has passed by the Earth. The outlet adds that given the unknown surrounding its future course, it is a mystery to see what happens next.

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