Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long period comet that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) on March 2 March 2022. It made its close approach to the Sun during January 2023, becoming quite bright and an easy observation target. This comet has a near-parabolic orbit with a perihelion distance of 1.11 astronomical units and an aphelion distance estimated to be about 2800 AU. After the perihelion passage the comet is now becoming fainter as it is moving away from the sun towards the external solar system.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation of Reticulum.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is 04h 28m 41s and the Declination is -62° 56’ 26” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is 16.40 (JPL).

The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.

Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Earth?)
• When does Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Earth is currently 627,724,581 kilometers, equivalent to 4.196080 Astronomical Units. Light takes 34 minutes and 53.8638 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) and arrive to us.

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.

The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) to Earth happens on Thu Feb 2 2023 at a distance of 0.284031 Astronomical Units, or 42,490,414 kilometers:

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.

Visualization of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
2023 Nov 29	04h 48m 24s	-62° 45’ 20”	16.32	Dorado
2023 Nov 30	04h 45m 42s	-62° 48’ 16”	16.33	Dorado
2023 Dec 01	04h 43m 01s	-62° 50’ 44”	16.34	Dorado
2023 Dec 02	04h 40m 22s	-62° 52’ 46”	16.35	Dorado
2023 Dec 03	04h 37m 42s	-62° 54’ 21”	16.36	Dorado
2023 Dec 04	04h 35m 03s	-62° 55’ 29”	16.38	Reticulum
2023 Dec 05	04h 32m 26s	-62° 56’ 12”	16.39	Reticulum
2023 Dec 06	04h 29m 48s	-62° 56’ 27”	16.40	Reticulum
2023 Dec 07	04h 27m 12s	-62° 56’ 17”	16.41	Reticulum
2023 Dec 08	04h 24m 38s	-62° 55’ 42”	16.42	Reticulum
2023 Dec 09	04h 22m 05s	-62° 54’ 43”	16.43	Reticulum
2023 Dec 10	04h 19m 32s	-62° 53’ 20”	16.44	Reticulum
2023 Dec 11	04h 17m 03s	-62° 51’ 32”	16.46	Reticulum
2023 Dec 12	04h 14m 35s	-62° 49’ 20”	16.47	Reticulum