Did you see it? A rare green comet was spotted streaking through the night sky over Massachusetts

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Frank O'Laughlin
·1 min read

A rare green comet made a close encounter with Earth on Wednesday night for the first time in 50,000 years and the spectacle was spotted in the sky over Massachusetts.

The comet, referred to as the dirty snowball by NASA, streaked within 26 million miles of Earth, marking the first time it has returned since Neanderthal times.

Larry Bruce, of Andover, shared photos of the astronomical sight in the northern night sky.

“Here’s my first attempt at the green comet,” Bruce said in an email to Boston 25 News. “Looks odd but that’s what’s up there.”

The comet, which appears green due to all the carbon in the gas cloud surrounding its nucleus, is unlikely to return for millions of years, according to NASA.

Scientists estimate that the comet hurtled past Earth at a relative speed of 128,500 mph.

By Feb. 10, the comet will be near Mars, NASA said.

This photo provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Dec. 19, 2022. It last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on Feb. 1, 2023, before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. (Dan Bartlett via AP)
This photo provided by Dan Bartlett shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Dec. 19, 2022. It last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA. It is expected to come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth on Feb. 1, 2023, before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. (Dan Bartlett via AP)

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