Lubbock, We Might Be Able To See The Green Comet Tonight
Here in Lubbock, we may be able to see the green comet we've all been hearing about, no telescope is needed. Although if you do have a telescope or even binoculars, it'll certainly enhance your viewing experience, assuming you know how to operate your apparatus.
According to NPR, the comet should be visible tonight (2/2/2023), and according to The Weather Channel, skies should be clear this evening. That's a winning combination.
This is possibly the first time the comet has ever come this close to Earth, certainly the first time in thousands of years and it isn't coming back during our lifetimes.
Why is the Comet Green?
Because the gas surrounding the core of the comet (ice and dust) is diatomic carbon, a reactive compound that is, um, reacting and emitting that light. I'm not a chemist, in fact, I barely passed Chem I in high school, so that's the best explanation I can give you.
But What Does the Comet Mean?
Comets have been associated with great changes throughout human history. Not always positive ones. They are seen as harbingers of "death". But if we are using the spiritual meaning of death here- it simply means the end of a cycle, the chance for rebirth.
Perhaps viewing the comet will fill you with both a sense of awe at the vastness and majesty of the universe, and also provide you with the catharsis you need to move past some sort of loss. Or maybe it'll just be a greenish blob of dirty ice in the night sky. You get to decide.