The New Year starts with… a guest from the past, as one comet which approached the Earth again during the Neanderthal era, will again approach our planet in January.

This is comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which was discovered by a telescope in California in March 2022. In fact, it is possible that by the end of the month it will be visible even to the naked eye.

The comet will “visit” the Sun first: it will make its closest approach (perihelion) on January 12 at a distance of about 160 million kilometers from it.

It will then approach our planet where it is expected to reach its closest distance (perigee) of 42 million kilometers on February 1 or 2.

You can already see it with a telescope

According to the US space agency (NASA), the new moon on January 21 makes it possible to observe the comet in the night sky.

The latest photos of C/2022 E3, which initially looked like an asteroid but has become brighter and brighter, show it has a distinctive golden tail and a trail of bluish-greenish gas and dust.

C/2022 E3 ZTF was discovered earlier this year and is starting to put on a show. It will gradually lighten over the next month and may well be visible to the naked eye by the end of January.

This is an exposure photo of about an hour from 4 to 5 am in central Virginia. pic.twitter.com/KkBR0hKBUH

— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) December 28, 2022

The comet is already visible through telescopes and powerful binoculars, when the sky is clear in the evenings.

Since the time of the Neanderthals

The comet is estimated to have a period of around 50,000 years, meaning that the last time it approached Earth, Neanderthals were still alive, and our Homo sapiens ancestors also appeared.

Of course, even if they saw him, they would not understand what he was talking about.

With information from APE-MPE