Green Comet To Pass Earth

Above, Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Skywatchers may be getting a rare special treat at the end of this month when a green comet will be passing the Earth.

KIII-TV reported:

A newly discovered bright green comet is on its way past Earth for a once-in-a-lifetime show, and it may be visible to the naked eye.

The comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was discovered in March 2022 and is passing through our solar system. The icy celestial object has gotten brighter and brighter as it nears the sun, building up excitement from astronomers and skywatchers alike. 

Comets are "cosmic snowballs" of dust, rock and ice. They heat up as they near the sun, taking on a stunning glow and spewing a tail of dust and gas that can stretch millions of miles.

NASA says the bright green comet has a short, broad tail of dust and a long, faint ion tail. You can't see it without a telescope yet, but a few astronomers have nabbed stunning photos as it continues its voyage. 

It will soar past the sun Jan. 12, making its closest approach to Earth around Feb. 2. NASA says those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will find the comet in the morning sky as it heads northwest this month. It'll be visible in the Southern Hemisphere as well in February. 

Above, a panel from Superman no. 172.

When I first saw the headline about a green comet, I immediately thought of a 1964 Edmond Hamilton story in Superman no.172 of the Man of Steel's encounter with a green comet that takes away his super-powers. It was one of the great stories from the Silver Age of comic books. It was drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein.

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