In the coming days, once again, we will have to look up. The Earth will receive a visit from Comet C/2022 E3, which will be visible from Lanzarote and other places in the world with the naked eye between February 1 and 2.
This new celestial body "can be seen now if you know how to find it with the help of celestial charts", as explained to La Voz by astronomer Gustavo Muler, one of those who has already spotted it these days. Currently, it is located between the constellations of Corona Borealis, Hercules, and the star Arcturus, and it is possible to see it at dawn.
In the first days of next month, it will be closest to Earth, near the North Star: "That's why it will be visible to the naked eye if we access dark areas, without light pollution," explains Muler. Below is the exact location of the comet at that time:
More than 2,000 years of period
This comet is named C/2022 E3, firstly, because of its period. "The C corresponds to it having a long period, of more than 2,000 years. If it were short, it would have a P," details the astronomer.
For its part, 2022 corresponds to the year of discovery (specifically, it was first seen on March 3, 2022, through the ZTF celestial object detection system) and the E, to its month: "The letter A reflects the first half of January, B the second, C the first of February... And so on."
The term comet comes from the Greek, means "long hair" and represents the remains of the formation of the solar system.
"The dust, earth, and material that the stars have left over because they did not absorb it due to gravity issues come together in a flat orbit that forms the planets. And what is left over are the asteroids, meteoroids, and comets," says Muler.
The celestial body C/2022 E3 and the rest of its type have three elements: the coma, a greenish glow that is located around the false nucleus; the ionic tail, visible in cases where they approach the sun and are very bright; and the dust tail, a whitish material that escapes from a comet.
"Currently there are more than 70 comets in the sky"
However, although most of the population is only able to see them every so often, Muler remarks that "currently there are about 70 different comets in the sky."
"They are there all the time, but those that are visible to the "naked eye" (without binoculars or other viewing elements) pass every two years on average, although this is not a constant either," concludes the astronomer.
* Author of the second image: José Francisco Hernández
