According to Fast Company, a rare green comet will surge through the sky near tonight, in what may be the first time since the Stone Age!
Dubbed by NASA as C/2022 E3, the comet was first discovered by astronomers in California in early March 2022 as it flew past Jupiter, and has since brightened substantially on its voyage through the inner solar system.
According to Newsweek, the comet was about 100 million miles away from Earth at the beginning of this past January, tonight, on February 1, it will reach its closest point to us–a whopping 26.4 million miles from Earth’s surface.
Stargazers can witness the comet soaring through the sky with its bright green nucleus through telescopes and binoculars.
The comet is currently visible via telescope or binoculars, reports NPR, however NASA predicts that by the time it reaches Earth it could possibly even be seen by the naked eye alone, though likely only in dark rural night skies away from city lights.
According to astronomy blog In the Sky, the comet will be highest in the sky around 9:45p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, February 2, though the Farmer’s Almanac says it will be hard to see due to the brightness of the full Moon.
Instead, they say to look up to the sky northwest at approximately 9p.m. local time tonight, Wednesday, February 1.
You won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon as some analysts predict the comet may never return and will head towards the vast universe, hurling through space indefinitely.
However, if the comet did return, it wouldn’t be for at least another 50,000 years either way.
So, be sure to look up and keep an eye out for the comet’s dashing bright green nucleus tonight!
And, for the best chance to catch a glimpse you can check skywatching apps such as SkySafari to keep track of where the comet is in relation to us.