The world is preparing to see "The Green Menace" which will reach its closest point to Earth today for the first time in 50,000 years. It is expected to reach its closest point to Earth on February 1, 2023 at 6:49 PM Eastern Standard Time. It will be visible in the sky above the northern horizon around 9:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, then it will disappear in the dawn light around 5:57 AM on February 2nd. The best time to observe it will be the upcoming night after its closest approach to Earth. The comet will move high in the sky during the night and will be closest to Mars on February 10th. The latest images show that the comet has a dusty tail and a gaseous tail. The gaseous tail is pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind.                                                                            

The "Green Meteor" is expected to pass by Earth today. It is a comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), that will approach the closest point to Earth today, February 1st 2023, at 6:49 PM Eastern Standard Time (23:49 in Greenwich Mean Time). It is expected to be at its closest point in the sky above the northern horizon at around 9:46 PM Eastern Standard Time (2:46 in Greenwich Mean Time). The comet should be visible with the naked eye under dark sky conditions, away from city lights.

After sunset today, the Green Meteor will be located to the right of Polaris, the North Star. The following nights of February 2nd to 5th, the comet will be moving higher in the evening sky and will pass near Mars on February 10th.

The latest images of the comet show that it has two tails: a dusty tail and an ion tail. The ion tail is made of gas and is pushed away from the sun by solar wind. The Green Meteor is a rare event, and has not passed this close to Earth in the last 50,000 years, during the last Ice Age.