Fifty-thousand years ago, the Sahara Desert was wet and fertile. The Stone Age in Africa was just beginning, and the world’s first sewing needle was invented. It was also the most recent time that Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) swung past Earth.The comet was discovered last March using the 48” Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Zwicky Transient Facility in southern California. It will reach its closest point to earth on February 1st or 2nd. It’s visible now with a small telescope or good pair of binoculars. With the young moon now is a great time to see it. We’re hoping for clear skies.
How to Find C/2022 E3
At this point, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible after sunset and all night long. Right now it’s close to the constellation Draco. Most apps including Sky Safari and the free Sky Portal app by Celestron have the comet as an available object to find and can really help you track it down. On January 29, it will pass about 10° southeast of the north star, Polaris. It could brighten to a visual magnitude of +5.5, which places it within the limit of naked-eye visibility under ideal conditions.
