{"id":256040,"date":"2023-07-06T09:58:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T08:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unistellar.com\/blog\/see-a-newly-discovered-comets-green-glow\/"},"modified":"2023-07-06T10:47:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T09:47:42","slug":"catch-comet-e1","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.unistellar.com\/de\/blog\/catch-comet-e1\/","title":{"rendered":"See a Newly Discovered Comet\u2019s Green Glow<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There\u2019s a new comet in our celestial arena, competing with well-known comets for \u201cComet of the Summer\u201d status! This icy visitor, called C\/2023 E1 (ATLAS<\/strong><\/span>) <\/strong>or \u201cComet E1\u201d for short<\/strong>,<\/span> was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa on March 1 of this year. It quickly caught astronomers\u2019 attention when it brightened more rapidly than expected shortly after discovery. Comet E1 has a lot to offer both observers and professionals, so let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The path of this comet through the sky. Note that the tail in this graphic represents the ion tail, which is made of charged particles and always points directly opposite the Sun. Comet E1 doesn’t have a prominent dust tail right now. Credit: Tony Dunn.<\/i><\/p>\n

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A New Halley-Type Comet<\/b><\/h3>\n

You may have heard of, or even remember, the famed passing by of Halley\u2019s comet in 1986. But this wasn\u2019t the first and last visit of this comet, as it traverses through our skies every 75 years. In fact, that\u2019s part of what defines a Halley-Type comet – these are comets with short periods, meaning they orbit the Sun every 20-200 years. Those short orbits are also highly elliptical, bringing them from the outskirts of the Solar System to within its inner realm where they warm and brighten quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Newfound Comet E1 falls into this category of Halley-like comets, as it has a period of 85 years and should therefore visit again – but not until 2108. It already made its closest approach to the Sun on July 1, when it was one Earth-Sun distance away, but it will be closest to our planet on August 18. Right now it is at its brightest, so catch it while you can!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Images of Comet E1 taken by Unistellar Observer Scott Kardel (US). The observations were taken about 45 minutes apart, and show how the green comet moves over time.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

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Why the Green Glow?<\/b><\/h3>\n

You may notice from the images above that Comet E1 looks like a bright green ball of gas. That ghoulish green glow comes from diatomic carbon, a molecule composed of two carbon atoms, in the comet\u2019s <\/span>coma<\/span><\/i> \u2013\u00a0 a gas and dust mixture that surrounds the comet as ices in its nucleus, or solid core, escape the comet\u2019s surface as it warms nearer the Sun. And the coma around C\/2023 E1 is particularly spread out, making it appear as a green gassy orb floating through space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Halley-type comets are suspected to come from the Oort cloud, the most distant region of the solar system past the Kuiper belt that hosts our beloved Pluto. Since it originates far out, it makes sense for the comet to contain such a substance that easily turns to gas – but astronomers don\u2019t know if that gas is getting used up, and they need your help to track the comet\u2019s activity to find out!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Sometimes a lot of gas can escape the comet at once, leading to an outburst, or rapid brightening of the comet. But unlike most comets exhibiting an outburst, Comet E1 has rapidly brightened and stayed that way! That\u2019s another mystery this comet carries, and all the more reason that astronomers need your observations. <\/span><\/p>\n

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How You Can Observe Comet E1 with your Unistellar Telescope<\/b><\/h3>\n

Even though comet C\/2023 E1 (ATLAS) was just recently discovered, you can still find it easily!<\/strong> Right now, it is visible to Northern Hemisphere observers, although it will become observable to the Southern Hemisphere in August. Comet E1 is not in the Unistellar App catalog,<\/strong> but all you need to do is visit our <\/span>Comet Ephemeris Page<\/span><\/a> to contribute to this mission:<\/span><\/p>\n