This rare comet is approaching Earth; will be closest on this day

A rare, newly-discovered green comet will whiz by Earth over the next few weeks and will be the closest to Earth, on February 1 at 1:11 p.m. EST. Named C/2022 E3, this comet was discovered last year by astronomers in southern California.

It has been approximately 50,000 years since this comet last passed by Earth, and it is possible that it will never come back, according to the astronomers at York University in Toronto, Canada.

"Right now, you definitely need good binoculars or a small telescope to see this comet, but towards the end of the month, it might​ be possible to view it with the naked eye. It will also depend on light pollution in your area and whether we have clear or cloudy skies," York Assistant Professor Sarah Rugheimer, the Allan I. Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy, said in a statement.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022. According to NASA, the brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable, but by the end of this month, C/2022 E3 could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies. 

Scour the predawn skies for a comet ☄️If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, use binoculars or a small telescope to find Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which has been passing through the morning skies all month.🔭 Skywatching tips: https://t.co/uJEdCvfg1J pic.twitter.com/RFwn0G2kyV

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) January 20, 2023