Eyes from the sky! The rare green comet will pass Earth tonight

A comet with a green glow will make its closest approach to Earth since the age of Neanderthals tonight (February 1-2), and if you look in the right place at the right time, you might just spot it.

The comet, known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will come within 26.4 million miles (42.8 million kilometers) of our planet, its closest approach in about 50,000 years, according to EarthSky. The comet has been lighting up the night sky since January and will pass between the orbits of Mars and Earth over the next two nights, traveling at about 128,500 mph (207,000 km/h).

Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere who have a clear view of the night sky away from significant light pollution will be able to spot the comet without a telescope. If you're unable to make it to a clear-sky location, however, you can catch the action by tuning into the Virtual Telescope Project's live stream of the event, which will begin at 11pm EST.