The last time this comet flew through the solar system was 50,000 years ago.
A green comet called ZTF will approach Earth today for the first time since the Ice Age. This is reported by Science Alert.
Comet ZTF will reportedly come within 42 million kilometers of our planet on February 1, which is about a third of the distance between Earth and the Sun.
The green comet, which last passed through the inner solar system about 50,000 years ago, will be at its brightest at this time.
Like other comets, ZTF has a lovely green hue, although observers may not notice it with the naked eye. The secret of the comet’s green glow lies in a molecule called diatomic carbon.
Help . A comet is essentially a galactic snowball – a body composed of ice and dust. As it approaches the Sun, the heat turns the ice into gas, creating an atmosphere around the comet called a coma.
