COMET C2022 E3 (ZTF)

Recently, when the sky is clear, my family and friends have all been very interested in seeing this comet. It is a long period comet that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility in California (hence the letters ZTF within the comet's name), on the 2nd March 2022, when it was five times further from the Sun than the Earth is. It is nicknamed ‘the green comet' due to the green glow it produces, which is caused by sunlight, diatomic carbon (a green, gaseous, inorganic chemical) and cyanogen (a colourless & highly toxic gas). This comet was last visible from Earth during the Stone Age, and it will be closest to Earth between the 1st of February 2023 and the 12th of February 2023. The comet is believed to have come from the edge of the Solar System, in the Oort Cloud. It's orbital period is around 50,000 years and its aphelion (its furthest distance from the Sun) is about 2800 AU (astronomical units - distance between the Sun and the Earth). It has an anti-tail and a blue ion tail of gases.

This is a photo of Comet C2022 E3 (ZTF), taken by my dad from our garden

But what is a comet you might ask?