Starship Asterisk*

A Comet and Two Dippers

Explanation: Can you still see the comet? Yes. Even as C/2022 E3 (ZTF) fades, there is still time to see it if you know where and when to look. Geometrically, Comet ZTF has passed its closest to both the Sun and the Earth and is now headed back to the outer Solar System. Its orbit around the Sun has it gliding across the northern sky all month, after passing near Polaris and both the Big and Little Dippers last month. Pictured, Comet ZTF was photographed between the two dippers in late January while sporting an ion tail that extended over 10 degrees. Now below naked-eye visibility, Comet ZTF can be found with binoculars or a small telescope and a good sky map. A good time to see the comet over the next week is after the Sun sets -- but before the Moon rises. The comet will move nearly in front of Mars in a few days

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Beautiful image! And it is really so rare to find a good annotated image of the Big and Little Dipper that you are allowed to copy and paste and use at sites like Starship Asterisk*.

In fact, I actually "stole" this very image, Petr Horaleks' stunning portrait of the Big and Little Dippers and Comet ZTF, in my first post of the discussion thread of the APOD of January 28. I didn't have anything really useful to say in that thread, but others made some very good points.

By the way, I believe that Petr Horalek's image shows the location of Comet ZTF as of January 26, 2023.

Ann

Ann wrote: ↑Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:28 am
By the way, I believe that Petr Horalek's image shows the location of Comet ZTF as of January 26, 2023.

Ann

Ann,

Indeed, the position of C/2022 E3 (ZTF)'s nucleus is consistent with about 01 to 02 UT on January 26, 2023.

On the evening of February 6, 2023, under a nearly full Moon in the New Jersey Pinelands, I saw E3 easily with 15x56 binoculars near the base of the "Kids" triangle towards Capella in Auriga. About a degree north of E3, I was also able to barely discern the much dimmer comet, C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) with my 115 mm spotting scope at 70x around 10 pm EST (Feb 7, 03 UT). I'm hoping for clear skies as the Moon rises later in the coming days.

Joe

Please correct the credit below the image.
it is referred to Dario Giannobile but It should be Petr Horalek.
D

Nice; I got to Fit My Screen!