Naked-Eye Comet Will Visit Earth for the First Time in 50,000 Years
This super rare and mysterious comet brings us a message of change, hope, and wonder
A green comet named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is visiting our solar system now. This long-period comet was discovered in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility of the Palomar Observatory in California. Comet ZTF would have last been seen here in our solar system some 50,000 years ago during the Ice Age.
Above Image: View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman used a remote iTelescope from Mayhill, New Mexico, to capture this image of Comet 2022 E3 ZTF on December 31, 2022. Eliot wrote: “Comet 2022 E3 on the last day of 2022. This comet is expected to be the brightest one of 2023. The comet should grow brighter in the next weeks.”
The Green Comet Will Come Closest to Earth Around February 1-2
The green comet will come closest to Earth in late January and early February, 2023. Specifically, according to EarthSky.org, the comet will come closest to Earth (and will therefore potentially be the brightest) on February 2 at 3:20 AM UTC (February 1 at 10:20 PM EST). At this time, the comet will be at a distance of 26 million miles from the Earth. By comparison, this is 100 times farther away from the Earth than the Moon is.
We should look for the comet in the northwest sky from January 30 until February 4 for its closest approach. That said, comets are generally unpredictable. Around one in 100 comets have been known to split apart before approaching the Earth, rendering them invisible to the naked eye. SpaceWeather.com reported on January 17 that part of the tail of Comet ZTF had just broken off in a “disconnection event” after encountering a CMA (coronal mass ejection), which is a plasma burst from the Sun. So we have to watch and wait to see what happens next.
It's still not clear how bright the green comet will be. Some astronomers have said it may simply appear as a green smudge. Others believe it may be brighter than many other comets in the past. Another point of unpredictability is that the comet will come closest to Earth (with the greatest chance of visibility) just as the waxing gibbous Moon shines brightly nearby. Since the Moon and other forms of light pollution may pose a problem for visibility, we may not be able to see it at all, or may need to use binoculars or a small telescope to see it, or plan to view it after the Moon has set.
Comets in Astrology: Messengers and Harbingers of Change
According to astrology, comets are messengers and powerful harbingers of change. Historically, comets have been seen in a negative light, as evil portents of war, the death of kings (leaders), epidemics, difficult weather patterns, seismic events, and various other human miseries.
A comet depicted in medieval times in the Bayeux tapestry. Bayeux Museam,
According to Vedic astrology lore, comets often portend some kind of upheaval in the regular order of the world, including either auspicious or inauspicious events. Sage Varahamahira categorized them in great detail in Chapter XI of his Brihat Samhita. He lists various colors, shapes, and directions of comets (known as “Ketus”), and what their omens are, but I do not recall seeing a mention of a green comet per se. I will be looking into this more when and if the comet appears, to see if I can discern more information about it according to its shape and what he described.
I also think of comets the way astrologer Rod Chang describes them in his excellent article titled Comets in Astrology: Possible Meanings of These Celestial Events:
Comets are frozen issues that ignite and grab attention, releasing from the abyss of our consciousness such suppressed emotions as fear and horror.
In other words, comets are symbolic of an astral purification energy that is needed in order to release something dark and unhealthy in the collective consciousness, in order to help pave the way for a new path ahead.
Comet ZTF Will Appear in the Mysterious Camelopardalis Constellation Around February 1-2: Emitting Guiding Light and Divine Power
When Comet ZTF is closest to us (around the time that it may be visible to the naked eye), it will be moving through the Camelopardalis constellation, a faint and expansive circumpolar constellation in the Ursa Major family of constellations centered around Ursa Major and running north to the celestial pole. Because it is a modern constellation, there is no historical record within ancient astrology or mythology to describe this constellation.
Camelopardalis constellation map by IAU and Sky&Telescope magazine
The two images above were calculated with Starry Night software by my dear friend and colleague, Vedic astrologer extraordinaire Steve Stuckey. The top photo is set for 4 AM on February 2, 2023 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Moon is still up at 4:00 AM but looks like it should be set by 4:30, as shown in the picture on the bottom. Both images are set for due northwest. The comet will be in the constellation of Camelopardalis, and according to the NASA JPL small bodies ephemeris, will be at Right Ascension of approx 6hr 20min, and Declination of 69* 50'. “Looks to be in sidereal Taurus somewhere.”
The area in the heavens where a comet is transiting when it appears to us is activated according to its astrological (or metaphysical) themes. As an example, and in my opinion, Camelopardalis being so close to the north celestial pole is symbolic of the metaphoric “polestar” that Paramahansa Yogananda wrote about in his Cosmic Chants.
I have made Thee Polestar of my life;
Though my sea is dark, and my stars are gone;
Still I see the path through Thy mercy.
The polestar represents the guiding light and grace of the Divine Power shining down on us and showing us the way. I believe that the appearance of this comet near the north celestial pole is a symbol of spiritual hope and inspiration amidst the miseries and challenges that are part of our Earthly existence. This is the message I take from it.
The Comet Enters the Taurus Constellation from February 9 to 14: A Potential for Transformative Economic and Political Events
Around February 9 to 14, the Green Comet will descend across the ecliptic in the area of the Taurus constellation near Aldebaran and near Mars. The mundane significance of a comet appearing in Taurus near the fixed star Aldebaran could be an omen of significant and transformative world events, especially those related to the economy. Aldebaran itself often has favorable consequences in scientific and technological matters, but also may point to political and financial crises as well as natural and man-made disasters. As the comet comes close to Mars, this is an omen of war, conflict, and other such turmoil.
Image above: Positions of the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the starry sky between 14 January and 16 February 2023, by Bautsch - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127475928
The Green Comet: Reflecting the Splendor of Creation
Comets and all cosmic phenomena are truly magnificent to behold, and their splendor is reflected within all of life, too, for as above, so below…as within, so without.
This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being…(Sir Isaac Newton, The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy)
I recently found out that a nasty polar vortex storm is expected to hit the Great Lakes area including Western NY (where I'm currently located) around Feb 1-2. I'm supposed to fly home to Texas Feb 4 so this should be interesting. My research into comets and asteroids indicates they definitely have an astrological effect. Hopefully over all it will bring something good.