Rare Green Comet Passing Earth Is Now Visible Without a Telescope—How to Spot It

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Significant celestial events can be an excellent excuse to stay up a little late and get outside to catch a glimpse. They become even more attractive to large groups of people when they’re uniquely beautiful or can be seen using little to no equipment, such as during a total solar eclipse . If you’re one of those amateur astronomers who wouldn’t dream of missing such an event, you may want to take a minute to look up later tonight. A rare green comet is passing nearby Earth right now that’s visible even without a telescope. Read on to see how you can spot this celestial visitor in the night sky.

READ THIS NEXT: NASA Promises Humans Living on the Moon in 10 Years .

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It’s one thing to be lucky enough to catch sight of a shooting star on any given night. But it’s an especially extraordinary occasion to be able to glance up at the sky and see an object that hasn’t been visible since Neanderthals walked the Earth 50,000 years ago.

Scientists have been abuzz about Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) since spotting it for the first time last March as it passed through Jupiter’s orbit. The object’s passage through the inner solar system is now reaching its climax, having hit its closest point to the sun—also known as perihelion—on Jan. 12. But the spectacle is just beginning: The glowing green comet became visible to the naked eye on Jan. 16, and will continue its fly-by as it passes within 26 million miles of Earth on Feb. 2, according to NASA’s “What’s Up” blog.

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It can often be challenging to locate an object in the night sky if you don’t know where to look—even if it is a comet that’s visible to the naked eye. But in the coming days, you might be able to help guide yourself to the right place by using some relatively well-known celestial points of interest.

All it takes to spot the comet is locating the Big Dipper . The group of stars—which is part of a constellation called Ursa Major—becomes easier to spot as it moves higher above the horizon after autumn for viewers in the northern hemisphere, Forbes reports. Comet gazers should look above the horizon to the north and northeast to spot the constellation, where the object will be hanging close by as of Jan. 26.

It will be visible near the easy-to-spot sky feature until about Jan. 30, when the object will continue its trek further east in the sky towards the constellation Camelopardalis in time for its closest fly-by to Earth, Space.com reports. After that, the comet should remain visible and might even become easier to quickly find by Feb. 10 as it moves close to Mars, one of the brighter objects in the night sky.

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Even though the comet is already past its perihelion, it’s still within a good eyeshot of our planet for at least a few more weeks. Those looking for the grandest spectacle may want to circle Feb. 1 on their calendars, when the object will pass closest to Earth and will likely begin to glow its brightest , according to astronomy website In-The-Sky.org. You will most likely be able to start to see it not long after sunset.

If you’re planning on catching a glimpse, just make sure you don’t wait around too long . The celestial object will begin to pull away from our planet after its fly-by, eventually becoming too faint to spot by mid-February, The Guardian reports.

Unfortunately, not everyone on Earth will be able to see the comet at the same time. Those who live in the southern hemisphere won’t have a view of this patch of the sky until early February, just before the object begins to pull away and fade from view, according to NASA.

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While the comet may be visible without any instruments, you may still want to set yourself up for success if you want the best view. As always with stargazing , it’s best to view from someplace with minimal light pollution and where the sky will be as dark as possible. If you’re stuck somewhere with less-than-ideal conditions, it might be best to use a pair of binoculars to help locate the comet in the sky, Forbes reports. And it should go without saying that you should check the weather forecast to make sure you have a clear, cloudless night for viewing.

There are also convenient instruments at your disposal that can make it even easier to locate the celestial object . Websites like In-The-Sky.org or TheSkyLive.com can help point you in the right direction with time charts and cancellation maps, and apps like Star Walk or SkySafari can turn your phone into the ultimate augmented reality guide to the heavens.

It’s also important to remember that the object will likely change its shape and brightness—sometimes even over the course of just a few hours—as it moves through the sky, Forbes reports. Ultimately, it’s best to show up with a sense of optimism and remain patient while locating the comet and taking it all in.

“Comets are intrinsically highly unpredictable objects, since their brightness depends on the scattering of sunlight from dust particles in the comet’s coma and tail,” comet-tracking website In-The-Sky writes. “This dust is continually streaming away from the comet’s nucleus, and its density at any particular time is governed by the rate of sublimation of the ice in the comet’s nucleus, as it is heated by the sun’s rays. It also depends on the amount of dust that is mixed in with that ice. This is very difficult to predict in advance, and can be highly variable even between successive apparitions of the same comet.”

The Next Total Solar Eclipse Will Be the Last Until 2044, NASA Says

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Whether you’re a casual stargazer or a devoted amateur astronomer, there’s no denying that there’s something special about witnessing a rare celestial event like a solar eclipse. Besides the fact that they only occur a few times each decade, getting a good view can come down to where you live having the right weather conditions. If you’d love to witness a solar eclipse anytime soon, you may want to mark off your calendars. NASA says the next one will be the last you can see from the U.S. until 2044. Read on for more info on how to catch this unique event.

READ THIS NEXT: NASA Promises Humans Living on the Moon in 10 Years .

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If catching a major cosmic event has been an item on your bucket list, you might want to grab your calendar . On Apr. 8, 2024, North America will have front-row seats to a total solar eclipse for the first time since 2017. But besides being a relatively rare event in and of itself, this will also be the last opportunity to view a full eclipse from within the contiguous United States until Aug. 23, 2044, according to NASA.

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Even though many areas across the U.S. will be treated to at least a partial eclipse, only places that are in the total eclipse’s direct path will get to experience the moon entirely blocking out the sun . The first sight of totality on the continent will start on Mexico’s Pacific Coast before it becomes visible stateside around noon in Texas, according to NASA. From there, the path will continue north through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before leaving the U.S. in the late afternoon.

Viewers in Canada will be able to experience the eclipse as it begins its path through Southern Ontario and eventually makes its way through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will disappear from North America as it passes off the East Coast of Canada in the early evening.

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So long as weather conditions remain favorable, part of what makes the experience of a total solar eclipse so special is the truly unique conditions it can create for those in its path. During the initial partial eclipse phase—or for those watching in areas outside of the total eclipse’s path—viewers will first notice a crescent blocking out part of the sun as the moon slightly covers the star while wearing the appropriate safety glasses, according to NASA.

For a few fleeting moments before the sun is covered, spectators might also be able to catch sight of Baily’s Beads, which are glimmers of light that form bright spots as sunlight passes through crags, craters, and valleys on the moon. A sharp, bright spot on the edge of the moon’s shadow known as the “diamond ring” will then appear, named for its resemblance to a sparkling piece of jewelry.

The moment the sun is completely blocked out is known as “totality,” marking the only point of the experience you can watch directly without protective glasses. Spectators might be able to make out different parts of the sun’s atmosphere, including a pink ring created by the star’s chromosphere or rays of white light from the corona. But while the view above is spectacular, sights on the ground can be just as surreal as conditions can create “a 360-degree sunset,” planets and bright stars can become briefly visible, the air temperature can drop, and “often an eerie silence will settle around you,” NASA describes.

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If you’re already excited to catch a glimpse of the rare celestial event for the last time until 2044, it might not be a bad idea to start preparing for the experience. Arguably most importantly, NASA warns you’ll need the correct specially designed safe solar viewing glasses or handheld viewer to actually be able to see it . Otherwise, you’ll need to use an indirect viewing technique, such as a pinhole projector.

“Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing,” the space agency warns, clarifying that normal sunglasses won’t offer sufficient protection. “Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”

And besides ensuring you have the proper equipment, you might also want to consider arranging a place to stay if you have to travel to witness the event. Cities along the path of totality will likely see a large influx of tourists scooping up available lodging, with Ross saying organizers expect anywhere between 375,000 to 500,000 people to descend upon Rochester alone.

“We’ve been starting to spread the word really since 2019 by meeting and also kind of designating everyone as an eclipse ambassador, so everyone watching right now, get ready because all of your out-of-town relatives are coming here [and] they’re gonna want to stay in your house,” Ross told WROC.