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Harry Fletcher
Feb 02, 2023
Rare green comet flies through the sky in Alabama
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Amateur astronomers across the country waited with baited breath on Wednesday night (February 1) to see a green comet which flew past Earth for the first time in 50,000 years.
Only, the UK was completely covered in cloud and most people were unable to see anything.
Many were left disappointed after gathering to try and spot the C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet, which is making a return to our skies after a very long time away indeed.
It made its closest approach to Earth after passing 42 million kilometres away in the early hours of Wednesday.
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It’s the closest the green comet will come in our lifetimes and should have been visible to the naked eye.
However, the weather didn’t get the memo and the extensive cloud cover overnight left many people angry on social media.
\u201cme searching for this green comet and having no such luck \ud83d\udc80\u201d— JAY DAY | H | HAYLEY WILLIAMS SMILED AT ME (@JAY DAY | H | HAYLEY WILLIAMS SMILED AT ME) 1675296056
\u201cDid anyone see the green comet? It\u2019s way too cloudy here. \u2639\ufe0f\u201d— David McIlroy (@David McIlroy) 1675292559
\u201cHuh. You wait 50 thousand years for a green comet and it\u2019s cloudy \ud83d\ude28\u201d— Rowan Hooper \u30ed\u30fc\u30ef\u30f3 \u30d5\u30fc\u30d1\u30fc (@Rowan Hooper \u30ed\u30fc\u30ef\u30f3 \u30d5\u30fc\u30d1\u30fc) 1675202912
\u201cI\u2019m sobbing right now because it\u2019s partially cloudy rn and the green comet is being blocked by the ONE cloud in that area right now according to my night sky app\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— \ud835\udd86\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd99\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd94 (@\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd99\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd94) 1675320423
\u201cGonna have to wait another 50,000 years to see this sneaky son of a goose. Bitch ass clouds \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14\n\n #greencomet #comet\u201d— jessethedood (@jessethedood) 1675319403
\u201cOH OF COURSE THERES A RARE GREEN COMET FLYING BY EARTH DURING THE TWO ICE COLD ASS FROZEN ASS OVERCAST CLOUDY ASS DAYS THIS WHOLE MONTH ! I HAD IT IN MY CALENDAR BRO !!!\u201d— renaissance barbie \ud83d\ude0e (@renaissance barbie \ud83d\ude0e) 1675229349
\u201cWas thinking of glancing northwards out of my window after midnight to see if I can see the green comet. According to the weather forecast it will be cloudy around that time - particularly during the hours when I want it to be clear. Because life is like that.\u201d— Bob Peters (@Bob Peters) 1675271123
\u201cWould love to see the green comet tonight, but I suspect it's too cloudy. Never mind, just wait another 50,000 years I guess.\u201d— Beth McLoughlin (@Beth McLoughlin) 1675238985
The comet will be at its most visible on Wednesday, but it will be possible to still see it later in the week.
Frustratingly, though, the cloud which prevented people seeing it is expected to stay. The latest forecasts from the Met Office show the whole of the UK and Ireland covered in cloud on Thursday and Friday evening.
The good news is the cloud will be almost completely clear on Saturday night, offering great views of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Despite the weather, the comet's brightness has been estimated to be at a magnitude of about +6 – almost the threshold of what can be visible to the naked eye – and is also expected to be the brightest piece of space rock to zoom past Earth this year.
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