Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Witness a comet passing close to Earth first time in 50,000 years

For the first time in 50,000 years, a once-in-a-lifetime comet from the outer solar system will pass near the Earth. Residents of the UAE will be able to witness it in the coming weeks. On February 1, 2023, comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) will approach the closest to Earth at a distance of around 26 million miles. It will be visible until February 5, 2023. Hasan Al Hariri, CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, said: "Even if it does not brighten enough to be viewed with the naked eye, it will be observable with binoculars and small telescopes around January and early February." On February 4, 2023, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, the Dubai Astronomy Group will organize a special ticketed event at the Al Qudra desert in Dubai. It will include comet, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, deep sky object telescope observations, astrophotography sessions, sky mapping, and other activities. Comets are icy bodies made up of frozen gases, minerals, and dust that remained after the solar system formed around 4.6 billion years ago. However, when they approach the sun and heat up, they transform into powerful cosmic objects, releasing gases and dust in such a way that they form a bright core and a flame-like tail that can stretch for millions of kilometers. BKM/ Expat Media
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