Rare green comet to grace Earth after 50,000 years

An approaching green comet traveling from the outer reaches of the solar system may only ever be witnessed once by the human race.

Comet ZTF, named by astronomers, is expected to make an appearance in late January to early February.

According to researchers, the comet orbits the sun roughly every 50,000 years, which means that it made its last appearance when Neanderthals were still existing some time in the last Ice Age.

At the time though, since there was no technology to ever view the comet, the ancient peoples may have not witnessed it.

This time around scientists have claimed that this upcoming opportunity may very well be the last chance.

"Some predictions suggest that the orbit of this comet is so eccentric it's no longer in an orbit — so it's not going to return at all and will just keep going," Jessica Lee, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said while speaking to Newsweek.