If you look at the sky over the next few months, you can see an object that Neanderthals last saw on Earth. Neanderthal man is known as a human species that lived about 250,000 to 40,000 years ago.
On March 2, 2022, astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility discovered a comet using a wide-field survey camera. The comet is estimated to complete its orbit of the Sun every 50,000 years, meaning that the last time we saw the comet was during the Upper Paleolithic, when humans began spreading across Asia and Europe.
The comet, designated “C/2022 E3 (ZTF)”, is currently too faint to see without a telescope. However, according to estimates, it will be possible to see it with the naked eye for a while in late January and early February of 2023.
The comet is currently approaching its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun), which will occur on January 12. On February 1, it will be at its closest approach to Earth, known as perigee. At this point, it might be visible to the naked eye, but Sky at Night says it will likely look more like a speck of chalk dust on a chalkboard, rather than a dazzling feast of comet Neowise.
The comet, which was believed to be an asteroid before tail scattering was observed, was discovered with a telescope at an altitude of 1.2 meters. It is expected to safely pass the Earth at a distance of about 44 million kilometers.
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