VIDEO: Here’s How to View ‘The Green Comet’ Tonight

Friday night is a very special night. In fact, it's the first night that Comet ZTF (AKA 'The Green Comet') has been visible in 50,000 years!

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That's according to Chris Hattings, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Riverton.

"It only passes by the earth once every 50,000 years," Hattings said in a video posted to YouTube. "So the last time it passed by here was actually during the ice age. And you probably won't see this again in our lifetimes, unless there's a really big advance in science."

So the bad news is, if you miss it, you probably won't ever get the chance to see it again The good news is, you have almost a month to try and see this comet in all of its astronomical glory.

"It will be visible through the night sky pretty much through about February 12, and it goes below the horizon, then it will dip toward the southern hemisphere," Hattings said. "It'll make its closest approach around January 31. That will be one of the best times to see it."

Hattings said that while the comet is visible to the naked eye, it may appear fuzzy. It's best to use binoculars or a telescope.

"But you may be able to see it with a naked eye, especially if you get out into a dark place, seeing as how this is Wyoming, Hattings said. "As far as the best days to see this, a good day might be this weekend - the 20th or 21st. It's still pretty far away, but we're heading toward a new moon. You want to look towards the Big Dipper."

The full video from the National Weather Service in Riverton can be seen below: