If you can find clear skies at night, you may earn yourself the ability to witness the green comet. The comet was recently discovered approaching the earth by astronomers, who say the last time this comet was visible from earth would have been 50,000 years ago. Assuming you weren’t fortunate enough to catch it back then, we’ve got all the details you need to know in order to witness the green comet and capture amazing photos of this natural phenomenon.
What is the Green Comet?
The green comet, more officially known as Comet C/2022 E3 (ZFT), is a comet that recently made a close approach with the sun. The nickname “green comet” came because of its properties. Anytime a comet gets close to the sun, there is an outgassing of diatomic carbon which heats and releases trapped gas. As the diatomic carbon decays, it emits a green light, making the tail of the comet burn green.
The comet is what scientists call a “long-period comet.” This means that its orbit extends incredibly far into the solar system, even further than humans have ever been able to explore. At its farthest orbit, it is predicted that the comet reached 2000x further from the sun than the Earth.
How Can I Witness the Comet?
Luckily, you can witness the comet from nearly any place on earth. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want to look into the night sky before dawn in late January. In the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll have to wait until early February. The closest the comet will get to earth is 26 million miles.
The green comet is expected to be the brightest on January 31st and February 1st.
Researchers at NASA noted in a recent update that if this comet continues its trend in brightness, it should be easy to spot with binoculars, and even with the naked eye. However, you’ll need to get to dark skies for the best viewing experience. Traveling away from light pollution in large cities is your best bet. The darker the skies, the greater the chance you’ll be able to witness the green comet with your naked eye. In addition to this, looking for the comet around the new moon will prove beneficial for the darkest skies possible.
Northern Hemisphere
In the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want to look at Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star. If you’ve never looked for the North Star before, first find the Big Dipper, which is shaped like a large handled spoon. On the cup part of the Big Dipper, two stars will point to Polaris, which happens to be the handle of the little dipper. The comet should be in this vicinity in its brightest light around the end of January.
Southern Hemisphere
In the Southern Hemisphere, the comet will lie near Mars. Look in the sky for a very bright star, which happens to be the planet Mars. Once you find Mars, the green comet should be very close. It will be best seen during the second week of February.
Tips for Photographing the Green Comet
If you want to get a photo of the green comet, you’ll have to shoot it pretty soon. Scientists don’t predict the comet to come back this close to earth for another million years.
Even if you go out and can’t see the comet with your naked eye, still try to find it with your camera. Long exposure will allow you to see things you can’t see with the naked eye, so there is a good chance that you can still photograph the comet.
The most important tip is to check the weather before you go out. Cloudy skies don’t lend themselves well to astrophotography, so try to find clear skies.
Despite what you may have heard, you can easily capture this comet with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. A telescope is not necessary to capture great pictures of the comet (though, you can capture amazing images through a telescope too).
The first order of business is getting to dark skies and finding the comet. Once you have it in frame, consider testing a few different camera settings. I recommend starting off at ISO 6400, f/2.8 (or wider if available), and a ten second shutter speed.
Review your photo after every image you take. You want to be sure to avoid streaking stars, which are a result of an exposure that is too long. If this is the case, you may need to make your shutter speed faster and increase the ISO. Also, be sure to zoom in on the back of your camera’s LCD screen to check for focus. Since auto-focus generally doesn’t work at night, you’ll have to manually dial in the focus yourself.
Suggested Gear to Photograph the Green Comet
Telephoto Lens
You will certainly want a telephoto lens, since a wide angle lens won’t quite capture the beauty of the green comet. Since it is so far away, the comet will appear as just a small green dot on a wide angle lens. Using a telephoto lens (or telescope) will give you the ability to zoom in and really show off the burning green comet and the tail behind it.
Full-Frame Camera
A full-frame camera is recommended, since most full-frame cameras can handle high ISOs much better than their crop-sensor counterparts. High-quality image sensors seen in full-frame cameras generally perform better in the dark than image sensors in crop-sensor cameras.
Tripod
You’ll also need to pick up a tripod to bring with you. Even the most steady of hands won’t be able to hold their camera perfectly still for a long exposure of the comet. Consider finding a high-quality and sturdy carbon fiber tripod for the adventure.
Star Tracker
Lastly, you’ll earn bonus points for using a star tracker. While certainly not required, a star tracker — when aligned correctly — will rotate your camera at the same speed as the earth. For night photography, this is incredibly beneficial because it allows you to take exposures that are minutes long without trailing stars in your photos.
Whether you’re an avid photographer hoping to capture a once-in-a-lifetime comet, or just someone who is excited to witness this celestial event, the green comet is going to be an event you don’t want to miss. Unless you plan on being around in one million years, this is your only chance to ever witness the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), otherwise known as the green comet.
