Green comet 2023 – live: How to see E3 in sky tonight before it disappears forever

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet is visible with the naked eye from certain locations

What is a ‘green comet' and where can you see it?

A green comet is flying past Earth for the first time in 50,000 years, offering skygazers a one-off opportunity to witness the celestial spectacle before it disappears from our Solar System forever.

The C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet made its closest approach to Earth on 1 February, 2023, but will continue to be visible throughout the week from anywhere in the northern hemisphere – weather permitting.

At a relatively close 42 million kilometres (26 million miles) from our planet, and with a brightness value of the magnitude of about +6, it will be possible to see it with the naked eye.

The comet is so rare that woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats were still roaming the Earth when it last swept by our planet.

To find out where in the sky to look, and learn when conditions are best for viewing the comet tonight and over the next few days, you can follow our live coverage in the blog below.

Key Points

• Nasa ‘expecting new discoveries’ from green comet
• Where the best viewing conditions for the green comet are right now
• How to see the green comet
• Much more to see in February’s night sky

[2 February 2023 01:01 · Graeme Massie]

Live stream of green comet to be hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project

The UK and Ireland are almost completely covered by cloud this evening, while large parts of the US will also find it difficult to see the green comet as winter storms sweep across the southeast.

Fortunately for those unable to witness Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF in the night sky, the Virtual Telescope Project will be hosting a live stream as it passes overhead. The project, setup by the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy, consists of several robotic telescopes around the world that offer free views of the universe that are available for all to watch.

You’ll be able to find the live stream here when the broadcast begins in a few hours.

[2 February 2023 00:01 · Graeme Massie]

What impacts how bright a comet is?

According to Nasa, “how bright a comet appears depends both on what we can predict, how close it is to the Earth and how close it is to the Sun, and on what we cannot predict, how much gas and dust it is giving off.”

(Óscar Martín Mesonero (Organización Salmantina de la Astronáutica y el Espacio))

[1 February 2023 23:32 · Graeme Massie]

How green comet appeared over California

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visible in the sky above the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernadino County as it approaches Earth for the first time in about 50,000 years on January 31, 2023 near Baker, California. The comet was discovered on March 2, 2022, and will be at its closest point to Earth on February 1, 2023. Its orbit extends far out into our solar system and has a green aura because it is passing close enough to the sun for the outgassing of its diatomic carbon molecules to react with the solar wind. (Getty Images)

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visible in the sky above the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernadino County as it approaches Earth for the first time in about 50,000 years on January 31, 2023 near Baker, California. The comet was discovered on March 2, 2022, and will be at its closest point to Earth on February 1, 2023. Its orbit extends far out into our solar system and has a green aura because it is passing close enough to the sun for the outgassing of its diatomic carbon molecules to react with the solar wind. (Getty Images)

[1 February 2023 23:04 · Graeme Massie]

Where to look to see the green comet this week

Wednesday night will be the worst night all week for people in the UK and Ireland to see the green comet, with the British Isles completely covered in clouds. However, the coming days will see the skies clear a bit, with forecasts from the Met Office suggesting that Friday will perhaps offer the best chance for many.

Here’s where to look in the night’s sky over the coming days:

Wednesday, 1 February: Look towards the constellation Camelopardalis

Thursday, 2 February - Saturday, 4 February: Between the constellations Camelopardalis and Auriga

Sunday, 5 February: The green comet will be near the star Capella in the constellation Auriga, however the full Moon may obstruct the view

[1 February 2023 22:27 · Graeme Massie]

Details on the green comet

[1 February 2023 21:31 · Graeme Massie]

Green comet seen from the island of Gran Canaria,

A green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed by our planet about 50,000 years ago, is seen from the Pico de las Nieves, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, February 1, 2023. (REUTERS)

[1 February 2023 15:09 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Timelapse shows green comet moving across the sky

This is one of the best timelapses of the green comet I’ve seen so far. It perfectly illustrates how it moves across the night’s sky.

Captured by astrophotographe Matt Graves, you can see just how far it travels in less than an hour. Hopefully we’ll be getting more like this from some of the big observatories in the coming hours and days.

You can watch it here:

[1 February 2023 13:47 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Share your photos of the green comet

If you have any photos of the green comet, you can email me (anthony.cuthbertson@independent.co.uk) or share them with me at @ADCuthbertson on Twitter (my DMs are open) and I’ll post them here.

[1 February 2023 11:39 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Green comet sightings hampered by cloud on Wednesday night

Weather forecasts from the Met Office suggest that viewing conditions for the green comet tonight in the UK and Ireland will be terrible.

Shortly after sunset, clouds rolling in from the Atlantic will nearly completely cover the British Isles, leaving only a sliver of clear skies in eastern Scotland. Even that won’t last for long, with the early morning of hours on Thursday seeing rain and cloud over all of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Here’s how the sky will look at 4am on the morning of Thursday, 2 February, according to the latest weather forecasts:

(Met Office)

[1 February 2023 10:10 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Watch the green comet drift across US sky

Footage posted to Twitter by Christopher Becke in Williamsburg shows the green comet in the sky above Virginia.

The amateur astronomer said the comet’s movement was captured by taking a series of 60 second exposures and stitching them together to create the video.

“10 minutes of comet E3 drifting among the stars (brightness due to some passing clouds),” he wrote.

Timelapses are a great way to get a sense of the green comet’s movement in relation to the stars and constellations in the background.