Comet Seen Once Every 80,000 Years Passes Over Earth Tonight—Here’s How To See It
A "historic" comet that won't return for tens of thousands of years will be visible Thursday night. It has made its way from beyond the solar system and reached its nearest point to Earth earlier this month, as reported by NASA.
The comet, which is located around 44 million miles away, was spotted from Earth for the first time earlier this month.
Comet C/2023 A3, commonly referred to as the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet, was initially observed from Earth on October 14. However, it was first detected by the International Space Station on September 28 when it was approximately 44 million miles away, according to NASA.
The comet originates from the Oort Cloud, which NASA describes as a massive spherical layer surrounding our solar system. This region contains icy fragments of space debris that can be as large as mountains or even bigger.
NASA predicts that Tsuchinshan-ATLAS won't come back to this part of its orbit for at least 80,000 years. However, there is a chance that the gravitational pull of another planet or some other space debris could alter the comet's trajectory.
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Where To Spot The Comet?
Bill Cooke, an astronomer from NASA, suggests that you find a high, dark location and look towards the southwest to view the comet. He notes that the tail of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible around 10 degrees above the western horizon, likely situated between the Sagittarius and Scorpio constellations. Additionally, the Virtual Telescope Project, based in Italy, will provide a livestream of the comet on October 21.
"When Will I See The Comet?"
According to Cooke, the ideal moments to view the comet are shortly after the sun goes down and just before it rises again. It’s expected to remain visible in the night sky until October 24 when using binoculars or a small telescope. After that, the comet will slowly ascend and fade in brightness before it vanishes completely in early November, as shared by NASA.
In recent weeks, several stunning astronomical events have been observed across the U.S. A significant geomagnetic storm, triggered by energy and particles released from the sun, allowed the northern lights to be seen as far south as Texas last week. Additionally, the October full moon is set to be the biggest supermoon of the year, appearing about 14% larger than a typical full moon when it reaches its closest point to Earth after 11 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Throughout the winter, skywatchers can also look forward to seeing various comets and meteor showers, including the ATLAS comet, which is anticipated to be visible in late October, as well as the Southern Taurids meteor shower and more.
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