The last time comet C/2022 E3 passed by Earth, modern humans were mingling with Neanderthals.
On Feb. 1, a comet called C/2022 E3 will pass by Earth for the first time in 50,000 years, meaning the last time it cruised by our planet, Homo sapiens were still sharing the planet with Neanderthals. And according to calculations from astronomers, the comet will never come back.
On Thursday , the comet will be at perihelion, its closest point to the sun. When comets pass close to the sun, their ice sublimates — meaning it turns into a gas, skipping the liquid phase. This sublimation creates a temporary atmosphere, called a coma, that glows from our point of view. On the nights of Jan. 26 and 27, the comet may be visible just east of the Little Dipper's bowl. Experts expect the comet to be visible to the naked eye by the third week of January. By Feb. 1, when the comet makes its closest approach to Earth, at 28 million miles away, it will be near the constellation Camelopardalis. A few days later, on Feb. 5 and 6, the comet will pass to the west of the star Capella and then enter the constellation Auriga.
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