United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents are in for a treat as a once-in-50,000-years comet from the outer solar system will be passing close to Earth in the coming weeks.
Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its closest approach to Earth on 1 February 2023, at a distance of approximately 41.8 million kilometers, and will be visible until 5 February in UAE.
According to the CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, Hasan Al Hariri, the comet’s brightness is difficult to predict, however, it will be viewable with the help of binoculars and small telescopes.
To celebrate this rare event, the Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG) will arrange a special ticketed event on 4 February at the Al Qudra desert in Dubai from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM. The event will offer telescope observations of the comet, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and distant objects, as well as astrophotography sessions, sky mapping, and more.
For those wishing to see the comet from home, binoculars or telescopes are recommended.
Al Hariri advised people sitting at home to use binoculars since they have a wide-angle field of view of the sky, making it much easier to locate the comet compared to using a telescope with a narrow-angle field of view.
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