Stargazers get ready! A recently discovered comet is on its way past Earth, and this will be your only chance this lifetime to see it!

WQAD reports that the comet, officially named C/2022 E3, was discovered in March of 2022. It is currently passing through our solar system and is getting brighter as it nears the sun. Comets heat up as they near our sun, showing off a tail of gas and dust that can stretch for millions of miles. NASA officials say that this bright green comet has a short, broad tail of dust and a long, faint, ion tail according to WQAD. Right now you can't see the comet without a telescope but that could all change very soon!


The comet will pass the sun on January 12th and come closest to Earth on February 2nd. NASA says that viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will find the comet in the morning sky as it heads northwest this month, according to WQAD. While NASA officials say it is hard to predict just how bright the comet will be, if it follows its current trend it should be easy to find with binoculars and even visible to the naked eye under dark skies.

While this green comet might be visible, don't expect the same kind of show we got from the comet NEOWISE back in 2020. But with a little effort, you can still see an object that hasn't been in our solar system in over 10,000 years!

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