There IS A Comet!

I normally do not send my readers into the night sky on a wild goose chase especially for comets. There is a comet visible in binoculars now near the North Star and you can find it all night long!

The comet in question is the social media darling they call the “green comet”. The official name is C/2022 E3 (ZTF). It appears as a small greenish blob above Polaris, the North Star.

The comet changes position slightly each evening. Once you find it, you should be able to locate it again on subsequent evenings.

Find a clear view to the north. Face due north and locate the North Star. The Big Dipper Stands above the northeast horizon on its handle. Locate the two bowl stars at the end of the dipper bowl. Move left to the moderately bright star by itself. This is Polaris. Remember the North Star is NOT a bright star!

On Groundhog Day, February 2, the comet is located in the obscure constellation called Camelopardalis (kam-ELL-o-parday-lis) or the Giraffe. It contains fainter stars. The comet however is located by sweeping directly upward from the North Star. Look for a small triangle of stars in Camelopardalis. The comet should be to the right of the rightmost triangle star.

This is not a super comet like Hale-Bopp in 1997. You must use your binoculars to locate it. Many of our astronomer friends report seeing the comet in binoculars. It is small but you should be able to see a faint small dust tail. If you are lucky, you may also observe a faint blue streak of the ion tail.

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) appears with a greenish tint due to the carbon and nitrogen in its nucleus as it reacts with sunlight.

Watch each night as the comet moves overhead toward the bright star Capella in Auriga. It appears beside Capella on February 5. By February 6, the comet is in the small triangle of stars just above and left of Capella.

Look for this nice little comet tonight.

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