On Saturday, October 12th Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchenshan-Atlas It will be its closest approach to Earth. According to what was reported by CNN. The next time this event will happen will be in 80,000 years.
According to standards
This was the culprit It was discovered in 2023, and NASA announced that it had successfully made its closest transit to the Sun on September 27. Scientists thought it would break during its passage, due to its volatile and icy composition, but it survived and remained almost intact.
“Comets are more fragile than people think, thanks to the effects of their passage close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatile materials such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,” astronomer Bill Cook told the US government agency.
Those who want to catch a glimpse of this unique event should look toward the western part of the night sky, shortly after sunset. It will look like a comet A bright fireball in the dark sky with a long spreading tail.
What a week. Comet C/2023 A3 Tuchinshan-ATLAS was the brightest comet since P1 McNaught crossed the view of SOHO’s LASCO C3 imager last week… and the show’s not over yet. Starting this weekend, the comet begins its appearance again, appearing low to the west at dusk. pic.twitter.com/nPtwz8MckY
– Dave Dickinson (@Astroguyz) October 11, 2024
According to the BBC, the comet’s progress has been monitored since the end of last September from the Southern Hemisphere. Now, in mid-October, it can be seen from Northern hemisphere.
“If there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as -1. This could make it visible with the naked eye or really stunning using Binoculars or small telescope“Cook recommended.
Depending on your location and the amount of light pollution nearby, you will be able to see the comet better. Experts recommend heading somewhere dark enough to see C/2023 A3 without the city’s brightness limitations.
They also suggest using specialized apps to know where to look, where there is less light pollution, and on what day it will be most visible.
“Star Walk” suggests that he could become one of The brightest comet visible in the Northern Hemisphere and due to its 80,000-year orbit, the last time it passed Earth was when Neanderthals were still walking the planet.
When was comet C/2023 A3 Tuchinshan-ATLAS discovered?
According to NPR, it was discovered on January 9. 2023 By observers from the Purple Mountain Observatory Chinaand the Asteroid Impact Alert System (ATLAS) telescope. South Africa.
“from Oort cloudNASA explained that the comet, which is a spherical shell surrounding the solar system and containing icy bodies such as comets, will reach a distance of 44 million miles from Earth.
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