A brilliant green comet has already produced some amazing imagery as it speeds toward its closest approach to Earth next month.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in California in March 2022, when it was 399 million miles (643 million kilometers) from the sun, just inside the orbit of Jupiter. The comet's long orbital period (the amount of time it takes to complete one orbit of the sun) means that C/2022 E3 (ZTF) hasn't been seen from Earth in some 50,000 years.
As the icy wanderer approaches perigee (its closest point to Earth) on Feb. 2, astrophotographers worldwide have been capturing incredible images of the breathtaking green comet. One photo submitted by Soumyadeep Mukherjee of Kolkata, India depicts what the photographer calls "Three Days in the Life of a Comet," spanning from Dec. 27 to Dec. 29 2022.
Related: Amazing photos of gorgeously green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
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Want to get a good look at the gorgeously green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.
Mukherjee captured the images using a Takahashi FSQ-106ED telescope and a FLI PL16083 camera with Astrodon LRGB Filters. Each of the three images combined to make "Three Days in the Life of a Comet" was made with three 240-second exposures. Post-processing was conducted with Pixinsight software.
The photos were taken at the IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain's Tabernas Desert, an area that "has amongst the highest number of clear nights in continental Europe," according to the observatory's website. The observatory is part of Telescope Live, a global network of robotic professional-grade telescopes that can be "rented" for remote astronomy sessions.
Related: Green comet a rare 'messenger from the outer reaches of solar system'
"The image captures the movement of Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF over three days (Dec. 27, 28, and 29 2022) in the night sky," Mukherjee told Space.com. "I'm an amateur photographer from Kolkata, India. I have been imaging objects in the sky for the last 2 years." More of Mukherjee's astrophotography can be found on Instagram.
Want to see comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) up close or take your own photos? Be sure to see our guides on the best telescopes and best binoculars that can help. While you're at it, brush up on our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to get the best comet photos you can.
Editor's Note: If you snap your own goregous photos of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) and would like to share them with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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