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Welcome!

Like the skilled Himalayan mountaineers I honor with my appellation, I attempt to provide the heavy lifting for those seeking to view the heavens online.

Most people have at least a casual interest in learning more about the night skies. When there is a well-publicized astronomical event, social media is flooded with interest. However, most people don’t have the resources or viewing opportunities to turn this temporary interest into a sustainable hobby.

I have promoted Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) as a way for more people to participate in astronomy. In 2015, I started the Star Sherpa Network, a pilot project offering an online platform for astronomers to share their night skies and eyepiece views over the internet. Remote viewing sites in three states were made available online. Qualified astronomers were even allowed to reserve time to remotely operate one of the telescopes.

Until recently, this project has been sidelined by logistical challenges as well as “life getting in the way.” I am now restarting the initiative. I will share my progress here. I encourage any other astronomers to learn from my successes and failures and offer their skies online as well.

I look forward to broadcasting here soon.

About Comet ZTF

A few facts about the comet in the news:

1. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), at Palomar Observatory in Southern California. the C means a non-periodic (long term orbit greater than 200 years) that has never been previously observed. The E stands for the half-month of discovery (January A/B February C/D, March E/F) The 3 means the third comet discovered in that half-month.

2. ZTF is the first comet visible to the naked eye since Neowise in 2020. At its brightest ZTF will appear as a faint green smudge if you are away from city lights, the atmosphere is clear, and the moon does not interfere.

3. Observers in the Nothern Hemisphere have favorable views through the end of April because it stays circumpolar (above the horizon) all night.

4. Realistically, get access to any pair of binoculars or a small telescope if you want to see it. At its brightest illumination its is only marginally visible to the naked eye.

5. The green glow of a comet comes from the breakdown of diatomic carbon and cyanogen in the tail spread by solar wind.

6. This is a comet from deep in the solar system with a 50,000 year period of orbit. It will be at perigee 27 million miles from earth on February 2. The full moon will interfere with viewing.

7. With good binoculars, you can find the comet in the northern sky anytime January through February all night. In March and April, you will likely need a telescope to find the comet.

8. This comet was already inside the orbit of Jupiter (less than 400 million miles from earth) when first detected.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) | TheSkyLive.com