Gjeraker

2023-01-20 C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

Long-period comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) swung by on a visit from the Oort cloud, so I thought I'd make an attempt at capturing this once in a 50,000-year experience!

I would have liked to shoot more frames for a longer exposure, but -5°C and wind made handling the metal-body camera almost impossible for any length of time. Regardless of this, I'm happy with how much detail even this short 1.6 minute exposure revealed!

I'm particularly fond of the clear green sheen seen in the coma and how it transitions into a more orangy color the further out you go. If you squint hard you can also see the ion tail at the bottom right.

Location

At the time of capture, 2023-01-20, the estimated magnitude is 8.85, and the comet can be found close to the tip of the big dipper, around Ra15h25m/Dec+54°55' [source].

As the move towards February 1st, the closest the comet will ever be to Earth, it will move higher in the sky towards Polaris, which is much preferable to now, where it is only ~25° above the horizon. I really hope the weather allows for another attempt in a week or two.

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