Newly found comet to visit Earth. Last time it came, Neanderthals roamed the planet

[JollyReddy]

 

In Short

• Comets consist mostly of ice coated with dark organic material
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first discovered in March last year
• The comet has an orbital period of around 50,000 years

Astronomers are excited about a newly found comet that has entered the inner solar system and is on its way toward the Sun, shining bright in the sky. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its closest approach to the Sun on January 12 and then rendezvous with Earth on February 2.

According to Nasa, comets consist mostly of ice coated with dark organic material. They have been referred to as dirty snowballs and may yield important clues about the formation of our solar system. Comets may have brought water and organic compounds, the building blocks of life, to early Earth and other parts of the solar system.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first discovered in March last year by the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility when it was already inside the orbit of Jupiter. While it was initially believed to be an asteroid, it began developing a tail as the Sun's influence began vapourising the ice. At the time of its discovery, it was shining with a magnitude of 17.3.