A Bright Green Comet May Be Visible in the Morning Sky This Month

A recently discovered comet might be visible in the pre-dawn sky throughout January.

A recently discovered comet with a green hue is passing through the celestial neighborhood. 

The bright green comet carries the catchy name C/2022 E3 (ZTF). It was discovered back in March as it passed through Jupiter's orbit. Now, it's approaching Earth and may be in view for stargazers throughout January.

Though, comets are notoriously finicky. It can be hard to forecast visibility as a giant ball of ice and dust approaches the sun. Things can change quickly, but NASA says that the icy visitor from the Oort Cloud will be visible if it continues to brighten as expected.

How to see Comet C/2022 E3

The comet will be at its closest to the sun on January 12 and will make its closest approach to Earth on February 2, according to NASA. Though, "closest" is relative, as things tend to be in space. It will never be closer than about 26 million miles from Earth.

Viewers in North America (and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere) can hunt for the comet in the pre-dawn sky throughout the month and into early February. Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere might have a view of the comet in early February.

The comet "should be visible" with a telescope now, according to NASA. The agency also says it's "likely" you'll be able to find it with binoculars.

"If [the comet] continues its current trend in brightness, it'll be easy to spot with binoculars, and it's just possible it could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies," NASA said in a video for stargazers. The comet, however, is not expected to get as bright as Comet Neowise, which was visible to the naked eye back in 2020.

how to see the comet
via NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory YouTube

The comet will be found in the northeastern sky in the morning. Though, it isn't just in one place throughout the month. It's moving north across the sky as January wears on. The above map from NASA gives a rough sense of where you can find the comet throughout the month. 

Catching a comet with the naked eye is a thrilling, memorable sight. But that's just a projection, and comets are hard to predict. They can break apart or not brighten as expected. Nonetheless, getting the chance to use nothing but binoculars to spot a comet is a great opportunity. 

Ready to go stargazing?

Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in a stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities.

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow Dustin on Twitter.