Josep M. Trigo Rodriguez, Institute of Space Sciences (ICE – CSIC)
Comets have always fascinated humanity and reminded us that we cannot live outside of our cosmic environment. During the last nights of January in the northern hemisphere and the first nights of February in the southern hemisphere, we have the opportunity to observe a comet from the depths of the solar system, cataloged as C/2022 E3.
This is a new comet that has never been seen before, or at least not in our recorded history. ZTF, popularly known as the “green kite”, has increased its luminosity.
We followed him for several months. It was discovered by astronomers Bryce Bolin and Frank Muskie almost a year before its appearance on March 2, 2022 using a wide-angle camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in the US (hence the acronym that gave the comet its name: ZTF).
Based on the observations of hundreds of professional and amateur observatories around the world, it was possible to measure the movement of a comet across the sky and reconstruct its orbit in the solar system.
Closest step to the sun
The comet that visits us follows an eccentric orbit that it makes every 50,000 years. Observations made by our research team at the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC) and the Space Research Institute of Catalonia (IEEC) show that its luminosity has increased in recent nights and for several days we will be able to observe it with the naked eye before it returns to its dark and distant corner in the outer solar system.
The ZTF has just passed perihelion, the closest point in its orbit to the Sun, on January 12th. At this time, solar irradiation of its surface was maximum and caused the sublimation of ice, which is part of its structure. That’s why he increased his brightness.
When the ice that is part of the comet sublimates, they eject jets of gas carrying dust particles ranging in size from micrometers to centimeters. Emissions of gas and dust change depending on the ice exposure of the comet’s core, so they are moody stars with a frequently changing appearance.
Comet ZTF tails that can be observed
As comets approach the Sun, they form a sheath or hair that we call eat.
ZTF has a core, possibly several kilometers in diameter, and has two characteristic tails of these stars. The most beautiful and most inconspicuous is the call ionic or plasma glue. It is usually quite straight and extensive, sometimes with multiple bands and, as seen in the top image of this report, appears bluish. This tail is the result of the emission of light by ionized molecules ejected in a direction opposite to the Sun, resulting from the interaction of the emitted gas with the powerful solar wind.
The tracking photographs we took show that this thin tail extends for several degrees (two complete satellites together make up one degree of angle), always in the opposite direction of the Sun. Both visually and with binoculars or a telescope, this ion tail is very difficult to see because it is so faint.
The comet’s second tail, a dusty tail, yellowish or orange in the pictures taken at Prades Astronomy Park, is more visible and extends quite far from the comet’s coma.
Close to magnitude +5
Observations of the comet made on January 26, 2023 show that it is close to magnitude +5 and therefore already visible to the naked eye from a location with little artificial light.
This is its apparent path in the sky over the next few weeks and we recommend trying to observe it over the next few days before moonlight makes it difficult to see.
Comet ZTF will be well positioned in the northern hemisphere and become circumpolar (visible all night) during the last two weeks of January and the first of February. It will be visible from the southern hemisphere this first week of February.
It will pass near the North Star on January 30 and near the bright Capella on February 6, moving at a very high angular velocity in the days closest to the Earth.
The comet’s current location among the constellations can be quickly seen on the sky map provided by The Sky Live.
Since it is not much brighter than any of the stars we see at the limit of our vision, the use of 7×50 or 12×50 binoculars is recommended.
Increasing the internal activity of the nucleus
In our latest observations, we evaluate a significant increase in the internal activity of the core, which indicates an increase in dust emitted from active regions. This entails a gradual increase in the luminosity of the comet’s coma, currently visible to the naked eye.
false core comet, visible through a telescope, is active and has increased its activity, as evidenced by the presence of large jets of gas ejected from active regions. These latest observations indicate that the comet’s luminosity persists for the next few days as it approaches Earth.
Fortunately, these fast aliens have enough space between the planets to spread their tails and surprise people without being dangerous. However, let’s not pretend to be in the dark, because every few hundred million years, someone kilometer-sized could have maps to hit the Earth. It is for this reason that we must continue to search with our modern telescopes and continue to equip ourselves with automatic search programs that allow us to detect in time and be able to accurately determine the orbits of wandering stars.
Josep M. Trigo Rodriguez, Principal Investigator of the Meteorite, Small Body and Planetary Sciences Group, Institute of Space Sciences (ICE – CSIC)
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
Source: RPP
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