Green Comet: How To See It In Maryland This Weekend

MARYLAND — Before Sunday's full moon, Marylanders should try this week to catch a glimpse of a rare green comet that hasn’t been seen since Neanderthals walked the Earth. Comet ZTF made its closest approach to Earth on Wednesday, but should still be visible for a couple more weeks before it disappears for another 50,000 or so years.

It could be visible with the naked eye. The important word is “could.”

“Comet brightness is notoriously hard to predict, though,” according to NASA. They often fail to measure up to predictions about brightness, or they may exceed expectations, the agency said.

"Excitingly, the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed through the inner solar system around 50,000 years ago, will be at its brightest during this time and may even be visible to the naked eye under the right conditions," according to Space.com. "The comet should be observable for days as it approaches our planet and then recedes on its way to the outer solar system."

The comet looks like a glowing ball with a green tail streaking across the sky.

Comet ZTF, which had never been seen by human eyes before last year, was discovered by California Institute of Technology scientists in the spring. It's made up of ice with a gas tail, containing compounds that give it its green hue by reflecting light, according to NASA scientists.

Telescopes and binoculars will offer the best views of the comet in the morning sky as it moves northwest, according to Space.com. With a telescope, skywatchers can expect to see the comet through mid-February.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) appeared above the North Star Tuesday and will make its way to Ursa Major and the Big Dipper by Thursday. Stargazing apps like SkyView Lite can pinpoint the constellations for those who aren't sure where to look. Or Track Comet ZTF’s movements on Universe Today.

And being away from city lights always improves your odds of seeing the celestial show.

These are top sky-watching spots in Maryland, according to Space Tourism Guide:

• Assateague Island
• Bear Branch Recreation Park
• City of Greenbelt Observatory
• Gaithersburg Observatory Park
• Green Ridge State Forest
• Kent Island
• St. John's College Observatory and Planetarium
• UMD Astronomy Observatory

Watch For Full Snow Moon

February’s full moon on Sunday, Feb. 5, owes its nickname — the full snow moon — to the fact that it is at its brightest during what is typically the snowiest time of year. Winter has been warm and almost snow-free in Maryland so far this season.

The forecast for Sunday night in the Baltimore region calls for mostly cloudy skies, with a low around 37.

The full moon will reach peak illumination at around 1:30 p.m. EST Sunday, but will be buried below the horizon. Look in the eastern sky around sunset — that’s around 5:31 p.m. in Maryland — and watch the moon as it drifts above the horizon. The moon reaches the highest point in the sky around midnight.

Native American tribes in the North and East called the February full moon the snow moon, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

Food was also scarce in February, so the Cherokee used names such as the bony moon or hungry moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Other monikers for the February full moon used by tribes are the bald eagle moon or eagle moon, used by the Cree; the bear moon and black bear moon by the Ojibwa; the raccoon moon by the Dakota; the groundhog moon by certain Algonquin peoples; and the goose moon by the Haida.

• Related: 2023 MD Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons And Full Moons

Also Worth A Glimpse

Winter is also a good time to gaze at Orion, the celestial warrior and the most brilliant of all the constellations with several prominent, bright stars — the red giant Betelgeuse at the upper left and the blue giant Rigel at the lower right, with its most recognizable feature being the belt consisting of three bright blue stars in the center.