How to spot the ‘comet of the century’ next month
- by Digital Trends
- Sep 27, 2024
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Public Domain; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Nielander via Wikimedia Commons
This October will see a once-in-80,000-year event, when Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS passes by Earth. First spotted in 2023, the comet (technically called C/2023 A3), which has been billed the “comet of the century” by some in the astronomy community, could be so bright that it outshines the stars around it in the sky, and even the planets Jupiter and Venus. Just how spectacular the comet is remains to be seen, as it is hard to predict how comets will appear in advance, but the possibility has skywatchers around the world excited for the event.
Whether you are able to see the comet with the naked eye depends on whether it will be as bright as optimists hope. “We’re all really excited about the prospect of the Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and how it might just be a nice bright object in the night sky,” said the Royal Astronomical Society’s Robert Massey. “I would think that you’re going to need a pair of binoculars to pick it out, or a telescope if you have the right kind of telescope with a wide field and you know exactly where to look. But who knows, it might be visible to the naked eye as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
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Comets glow brightly because they are balls of rock and ice, and when they approach the sun that ice begins to sublimate into gas. The ice particles reflects the sun’s light, making them appear to shine, and the gas being given off gives them their signature tail. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is currently passing by the sun, but it will likely be at its brightest when it passes by Earth in mid-October.
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