TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A local stargazer captured a recently-discovered comet lighting up the sky over Polk County last week.
According to NASA, the comet, dubbed C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first discovered in March 2022 by astronomers using used a powerful wide-field camera system who spotted it inside Jupiter’s orbit in the outer solar system.
The comet is currently visible in binoculars and telescopes as it passes through the inner solar system. It could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies once it gets closer to Earth.
A stargazer in Lakeland captured a video of the spectacle and shared it on Twitter. The video shows the comet’s movements between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
The comet will make its closest approach to the Sun on Jan. 12 and will be closest to Earth—26.4 million miles away—on Feb. 2.
If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll be able to see the comet in the morning sky, moving toward the northwest. It should be more visible in the Southern Hemisphere come February.
