Watch: RARE green comet to be visible in SA from TODAY

South Africans have been waiting their turn to see the once-in-a-lifetime green comet, known for its greenish hue and named C/2022 E3 (ZTF).

By: Michelle Swart

ALSO READ: RARE Green Comet visible in South Africa THIS WEEK

Here is how you can see the comet from today

According to SABC news, it is claimed that we could be the final humans to witness the green comet, named Comet ZTF by astronomers, as it hurtles past Earth from the outer reaches of the solar system.

Prof David Block told the publication that we should be able to see it from 10 February to 11 February.

ALSO READ: Mysterious ‘whirlpool’ in night sky above Hawaii due to Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite – PICTURE

You can spot it by looking towards the north and locating the bright red planet, Mars.

The comet will be near Mars, and viewing it will require binoculars.

ALSO READ: NASA’s Orion spacecraft enters lunar orbit

See it live here:

What exactly is a comet?

Astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California discovered C/2022 E3 (ZTF), nicknamed the “green comet”, last March and initially misidentified it as an asteroid, The Guardian reports.

Orbiting the sun, these are cosmic snowballs made of frozen gases, rock, and dust. 

While frozen, they resemble a small town in size, but as they approach the sun due to their orbit, they heat up and produce a giant glowing head larger than most planets by spewing dust and gases.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY MICHELLE SWART