'A rare green comet zipping by Earth for the first time since the Stone Age is about to pass right next to Mars this week, and the once-in-a-lifetime cosmic pairing could be visible through a simple pair of binoculars.

The comet, called C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will appear as a faint, fan-shaped smudge next to the Red Planet as it passes between the orbits of Earth and Mars on the evenings of Friday (Feb.10) and Saturday (Feb.11), according to EarthSky.org (opens in new tab).

To spot the comet as it passes Mars, viewers in the northern hemisphere should face east after the sun has set and locate Mars as an orange point of light to the right of the Orion constellation. The comet should be just one degree above the planet next
to the Auriga constellation, and can be located with a pair of binoculars or, if it is too faint, a small telescope.

If you can’t spot the comet immediately, allow your eyes to adjust and zero in on its location using stargazing apps or with the skywatching website The Sky Live (opens in new tab). If you live in the Southern Hemisphere or can’t get to a location
with clear skies, you can still watch the comet pass by tuning into the Virtual Telescope Project's livestream (opens in new tab), which will begin at 6pm EST on Feb.11.

The last time the comet was visible from Earth was when modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted, and it may not ever be seen again. The comet is not bound to our solar system, and is predicted to leave it forever unless its orbit is altered by the
gravity of some unknown deep-space object to bring it back around. Even then, it could be millions of years before C/2022 E3 (ZTF) returns to Earth.'
https://www.livescience.com/you-have-one-last-chance-to-view-the-green-comet-this-week-thanks-to-a-close-flyby-with-mars

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