The now famous C/2022 E3 (ZTF) comet, also known now by the nickname the “Green Comet.” Named after its dazzling glow and light it gives off. It has spent thousands of years heading back toward Earth and is now speeding away into deep space, but there is a possibility that it will never be seen again. According to NASA, the comet is in a 50,000-year orbit of the sun. The comet has not been seen by humans since the cavemen in the early days of our existence. Its long-term orbit may make it seem impossible, how could something just leave after millions of years of orbiting our sun? But the comet doesn’t just leave, it has to do with our sun’s gravity. For example, if you had an object that was orbiting the sun in a weird egg shape as most comets do. When you get close to the sun its gravity shoots you like a slingshot and you get blasted out at very high speeds. Speed controls how high and low your orbit is so a higher speed means a higher orbit. And if an object goes fast enough it escapes the object they are orbiting completely. In this case, C/2022 E3 is orbiting the sun so it may reach a speed that it will escape from the sun’s gravity and fly out of our solar system. And into the space between stars also known as interstellar space. If this does happen then the comet will sail through empty space forever. It may find an orbit around another star but most likely it will fly on in space for millions of years until it gets out of the Milky Way. And then continue forever void in the sky…maybe humans will never see it again or maybe we will. Only time will tell…
Image Source: Forbes