Discovered on March 2, 2022, comet C/2022 E3 ZTF will pass close to Earth tomorrow, February 1. Periodic comet, the last time it passed near our planet was about 50,000 years ago, for this reason it was renamed "Neanderthal Comet".
Despite its relative proximity to Earth, naked eye visibility will be very limited. The presence of the Moon and an almost invisible tail make the comet mostly observable with binoculars. To look for it, you will have to look at the sky in a northerly direction, pointing towards the constellation of the Giraffe.
On February 1, the Neanderthal comet will pass at a distance of about 45 million kilometers from the Earth, the equivalent of about 120 times the distance that separates us from the Moon, as it passed close to the Sun on January 12.
The shine of the comet depends on our star, which with its energy heats the comet which emits dust, gas and light. The Neanderthal comet, as it moves through the Solar System, quickly changes its position with respect to the stars and on the night of February 11th it will prospectively find itself close to the planet Mars.
Every year dozens of new comets are discovered, celestial bodies that date back to the dawn of the Solar System and which keep the secrets of the ingredients that gave rise to the planets and perhaps even to life.
