Extremely Rare 'Dirty Snowball' Comet Visible Over Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — A bright-green comet spotted by NASA in December and last seen during Neanderthal times has traveled far enough toward Earth that it is now visible from Long Island, Newsday reported Sunday.

Astronomers discovered Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in early March, NASA wrote in a news release. In the months since, the comet has been making its way through the solar system and will hit its closest point to earth on Feb. 1, according to the agency.

The comet, known as a dirty snowball, came from what's known as the Oort cloud and will come within 26 million miles of Earth Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.

The comet glows green once the sun hits it due to the amount of carbon and nitrogen around it, Steve Bellavia, a staff member at the nonprofit Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold, told Newsday.

Long Islanders can spot the comet with binoculars or a telescope from now through the first week of February, with the night of Feb. 3 being the best for viewing, Bellavia told the outlet.

Don't miss the once-in-a-lifetime sighting!

The Associated Press contributed to this report.