When and how to see ‘Green Comet’
A rare green comet is streaking across Earth’s skies for the first time in 50,000 years, and Capital Region residents could be able to see it with the naked eye in the coming week.
C/2022 E3, sometimes known as the “Green Comet,” will be nowhere near as bright as Halley’s Comet or Comet HaleBopp. It also doesn’t have as interesting a name, but it is notable for its color, said Dr. Valerie Rapson, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at SUNY Oneonta.
“It has this beautiful green glow around which comes from diatomic carbon — C2,” she said.
What makes this comet green — and rare?
Comets are masses of ice with organic material, often coined “dirty snowballs,” Rapson explained. In this particular comet, ultraviolet light from the sun excites the carbon, releasing the green light. But its color is not what makes this comet rare, but rather its longevity. C/2022 E3 has been circling the sun for around 50,000 years. It was last visible from Earth in the Paleolithic Era, and once it travels past Earth it will head to the outer solar system, Rapson said.
“If humans are around in 50,000 years then it’ll come back,” she said. “But this is kind of our one and only chance to see this particular comet.”
When you’ll be able to see the ‘Green Comet’
C/2022 E3 was first discovered in 2022, and for the last few weeks has been visible with a decent telescope or binoculars, Rapson said. It will be closest to Earth on Wednesday, Feb. 1, when it should be visible to the naked eye under the right conditions. It will likely remain visible to the naked eye for only a couple days after, she said.
Rapson said the best time of night would be around 10 p.m. to midnight.
“It’ll be just to the east or just to the right of Polaris, the North Star,” she said. “And it’ll be just a little higher in the sky than the Big Dipper.”
Even on Wednesday, the comet will only be just visible, at best a “a little green fuzzball” with a faint tail, Rapson advised.
Where to see the comet
Capital Region residents are lucky, as the comet is only visible from the Northern Hemisphere. But viewers will want to stay far away from city lights, opting for state parks or remote, rural areas, Rapson said.
Optimal dark skies are around the Catskill Mountains and Adirondacks, and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, which rank a 2 or 3 on the Bortle Dark Sky Scale (for reference, downtown Albany ranks 8-9).
But the weather may not cooperate with amateur astronomers’ plans. The National Weather Service currently expects the Albany area to be mostly cloudy with lows in the teens Wednesday night.