Green comet comes closest to Earth in 50,000 years, netizens share stunning views

The recently discovered comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), famously known as the green comet, captivated the attention of many people as it made its closest approach to Earth. According to National Geographic, on February 1, the comet turned the sky green as it came nearest Earth in 50,000 years.

The Zwicky Transient Facility in California first discovered this comet in March 2022. Because of its green hues, it has earned the name the green comet and is believed to have originated from the Oort cloud. For the unversed, an Oort cloud is a group of icy objects that are thought to reside in the solar system's furthest regions.

As the green comet came closest to our planet yesterday, many people captured the magical view and shared pictures online.

Take a look at some of the reactions to the green comet here:

A Twitter user shared a short clip of the comet

Another person shared an astronomical view.

This person uploaded a mesmerising view of the comet that turned the sky green. They wrote, "Once in a lifetime," in the caption.

Many people could spot the green comet as a small dot in the sky and shared the images.

Comets are made of a solid core of rock, ice, and dust and are covered by a thin and gaseous atmosphere of more ice and dust. As they get closer to the sun, they melt, releasing a hazy tail of gas and dust ejected from their surface by solar radiation and plasma.