LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The passing of a very rare comet named Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible Wednesday night going into Thursday.
The comet is also known by its nickname: the green comet.
The last time the green comet skated close to earth was during the last Ice Age, which was about 50,000 years ago.
Astronomers just learned of the comet’s existence in March 2022.
Some of those astronomers now estimate that after tomorrow, it could potentially be millions of years before the comet returns for another flyby.
According to NASA, there are more than 3,700 known comets in our solar system, but this comet is rare in a variety of ways.
One of which is its green appearance, which is caused by a molecule named dicarbon.
Dicarbon emits green light as sunlight decays it.
In addition to that, if the comet continues to stay as bright as it has been in the past few days, it will be visible to the naked eye.
To get a good view of the comet you’ll want to go out around dusk or while the moon is still dim, get away from city lights and look to the northwest for that bright and rare green glow.
