Will the bright green comet trigger a Night of the Comet scenario?

Most people are super excited —and rightly so— about the recent discovery of a new bright green comet. After all, it’s not every day a new comet comes along. And this one is a rare find indeed. Scientists estimate it hasn’t been seen from Earth in 50,000 years.

I, on the other hand, am excited, but also have some reservations. Thanks to one movie in particular that has given me pause about comets ever since I saw it: Night of the Comet. Every time people get excited about a rare comet event, I think of it.

Other Bright Comets That Didn’t Trigger a Zombie Apocalypse

That’s why my excitement was somewhat tempered when Halley’s Comet passed through in 1986, which happened only two years after Night of the Comet came out.

In fact, I honestly don’t remember if I saw Halley’s Comet back then or not. You’d think seeing a comet would be a memorable event. (It really would be if something like Night of the Comet happened!) I definitely remember all of the Halley’s Comet hype. I also want to say I took a class trip to the Chamberlin Observatory in Denver to see it, but who knows?

However, since Halley’s Comet comes around every 75 to 80 years, there is a chance some people experience it twice in a lifetime. Since I was 16 the last time it happened, if I live until 2061, I’ll “only” be 91. If my eyes are still good, I would have the chance to see it twice in my lifetime.

But I missed out entirely on Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Regardless of who you are, if you weren’t alive in 1997, or missed it then, you’ll never have the chance to see it again either. As an Inverse article on MSN explained, Hale-Bopp was a “once in the lifespan of a civilization” kind of comet. It’ll be 2,373 years before it passes through our Solar System again.

Then there was NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) discovered in 2020. Similar to Hale-Bopp (as well as this new comet), it’s also a long period comet and if you missed it in 2020, too bad so sad. It won’t be seen again for 6,800 years.

The other thing all these comets shared in common was they didn’t trigger an apocalyptic Night of the Comet event. That should hold true for this new bright green comet, too.

And let’s face it. If such a thing was going to happen, wouldn’t it have happened in 2020? Talk about a crazy year. Just saying.

The Bright Green Comet Known (for now) as C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

Most comets are common. They’re visible with a telescope or really good binoculars. But bright comets, as Space.com explained, “appear on average perhaps two or three times every 15 to 20 years.”

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a common comet but, according to Space.com, “may end up ranking as exceptionally bright…since for a short while it may hover right at the cusp of naked-eye visibility (for those fortunate enough to be blessed with dark, non-light polluted night skies).”

Starting on Jan. 12, 2023, us Earthlings will get a chance to witness this truly a once-in-a-lifetime/civilization/era event. And the chance to spot it will only last until early February 2023.

Then the comet with the very unsexy name “C/2022 E3 (ZTF)” will go bye-bye back into deep space for another 50,000 years or so.

I’m hoping it’ll soon come to be known as either Comet Masci-Bolin or Comet Bolin-Masci after the astronomers who discovered it, Frank Masci and Bryce Bolin.

Best Way to See C/2022 E3

The comet is visible now with a telescope, but Space.com said by the third week in January that it “should become faintly visible with the unaided eye.”

The best time to see it is in the pre-dawn hours from the darkest place you can find. Light pollution will only make it more difficult —or impossible— to spot. So getting away from city lights is a great idea.

Another great tip Inverse shared was that during the new Moon on January 21, the skies will naturally be at their darkest. That’ll help too, as will the comet’s positioning in the sky by then.

Check-In

Did you see Halley’s Comet in 1986? What about Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, or C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in 2020? Do you plan to try and catch a glimpse of the bright green comet when it graces our skies this year?

And do comet events make you think of Night of the Comet too?