Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF)
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as it made its closest pass of Earth on 1st February 2023. Discovered on 2nd March 2022, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long-period comet originating from the Oort cloud, which is approximately 149 billion kilometres away from our Sun. The comet gets its characteristic green glow from the ejection of diatomic carbon and cyanogen from its nucleus to the coma (atmosphere) as it is heated by the Sun. The comet has two tails (right); one composed of dust and the other composed of gas that is ionised by ultraviolet radiation, causing it to glow. Along with its two tails, the comet possesses a third anti-tail going towards the Sun (left), which is attributed to an optical illusion only observed for a brief interval when the Earth passes through the comet's orbital plane. Photographed from Strbske Pleso lake, Slovakia.
Size: 6437px × 4291px
Location:
Photo credit: © PETR HORALEK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, /2022, 1st, 2000s, 2020s, 2023, 21st, anti-tail, antitail, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, c2022, carbon, century, cloud, coma, comet, cometary, cyanide, cyanogen, diatomic, draconis, dust, e3, february, gas, green, ice, icy, ion, iota, long-period, night, oort, sky, space, starry, stars, tail, ztf
