Update - Monday 6th Feb. NZST

from John, RASNZ Comet and Meteor Section:

I just saw the 'Green Comet' (ZTF, C/2022 E3) tonight (2023 Feb 05 UT). It's 2.3 degrees SW of Capella, way down in the NNW sky, about 6-degrees above the horison.

I initially used 11x80 binoculars, but the Full Moon made the sky too bright. I then used a burrowed pair of ASTRONZ FMC 20x80 Triplet binos ( https://astronz.nz/.../products/20x80mm-premium-binoculars ) and saw it, just. It's faintish, about magnitude 6-7 (which is fainter than a star of mag 6 due to the comet not being a point source). I could just see mag 7.5 TYC 2907 117 in the Moonlit sky. ZTF's coma looks to be about 3-4' across. No tail was visible. Hopefully in two nights it will be easier, when it's higher above the horizon and there's a short dark period before the bright Moon rises.

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February sees one brightish comet in our New Zealand sky. Observers in the northern hemisphere have been enjoying the ‘Green Comet’ C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in recent weeks. It is currently about magnitude 6, so needing binoculars. It is however still too far north for us to see from Aotearoa. If you have a low, flat horizon without light pollution you may be able to catch a look at it from about the 8^th February (if you live in the upper North Island). It will possibly be a small, moderately (mag 6-7?) fuzzy blotch. On the 11^{th of} February ZTF will lie ~1-degree east of Mars at the end of evening twilight. Binoculars will be needed. The following is ephemerides for it.

ZTF (C/2022 E3)

* The ephemerides magnitude for a comet is often too optimistic...

More information about brighter southern comets can be found on Seichi Yoshida's comet page:

http://aerith.net/comet/future-s.html

February is quite a sparse time for southern meteor showers. The Alpha-Centaurids (ACE) run from Jan 31 – Feb 20, with a peak on Feb 8/9. The radiant is RA 210*, Dec -59*. The Zenith Hourly Rate is about 6 a-Cen / hour.

John Drummond (2 Feb 2023)

RASNZ Comet and Meteor Section Director

Article added: Thursday 02 February 2023