Comet Neanderthal, so named because of its antiquity, estimated to be around 50,000 years old, is expected to make its closest approach on February 1 or 2, meaning that the last time it came close to Earth, they lived still the Neanderthals.
The comet was discovered in March 2022 by a telescope in California and after research, experts concluded that it will pass by the Earth during this month (p .January), while it will approach 42 million kilometers in the first days of February.
The comet, these days, can be seen with the naked eye, that is, with the use of a telescope or binoculars, and is considered a great challenge for stargazers. The Neanderthal is usually most visible during the morning hours in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, while according to the space organizations, especially on the days when it will be close to the Earth, will be located in the pole star, that is, as he mentioned speaking to REPORTER, the president of the Astrological Society of Cyprus, Chrysanthos Fakas, above Pentadaktylos.
Mr. Fakas explained that, “comets are stones that have ice and soil on them, that's why they are also called dirty snowballs, which also orbit the sun. The period of this particular comet is 50 thousand years, that is, every 50 thousand years it makes a revolution around the sun”.
Comets are visible when they begin to approach the sun, since as Mr. Fakas said, they develop a temperature of millions of degrees Celsius and after they begin to heat up they create a wonderful tail or comet. “Besides, that's why they called them comets, because they look like they're unfurling their hair. Their count. The comet in question approached the sun on July 12 and is now turning back to return to where it began its journey”.
Comet Neanderthal, will pass by Earth again after 50 thousand years and will be smaller, compared to now, since every time they pass by the sun due to the sun's tidal forces, a lot of the comet's mass is absorbed and dissolved . Mr. Fakas estimates that, when the Neanderthals saw him, “he would have been brighter, because he had more mass at the time. So, when it passes again it will have a smaller mass than the one we will observe these days”.
Telling the story of comets, Mr. Fakas noted that in the past, the appearance of comets was always associated with bad omens in the world's perception. In fact, it is said that when Halley's comet passed over the walls of Constantinople, it terrorized the Ottomans, who believed that it was a punishment of the Christians, which led them to the decision – from 1456 onwards – to offer relaxations to the Christians.
However, if anyone wants to observe the comet, they can do so through a mobile app by entering their comet name (C/2022 E3), and on February 1st they can observe it with a telescope, the first morning hours looking towards Pentadaktylos.
