A comet that visits our solar system every 80,000 years is set to pass Earth in the coming days, in what some astronomers are describing as the “comet of the century”.
First discovered in January last year, the Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) is finally becoming visible to the naked eye as its trajectory takes it closer to the Sun. It should be visible across two windows, weather and light pollution permitting. The first window has passed, but the stunning picture above was taken during this window and was featured by NASA as their Astronomy Picture of the Day.
The good news is that your chances of success are likely to be best during the second window from 12-30 October, when it will be visible in the west just after sunset. It is unclear how bright the comet will become, but its closest approach to Earth will be taking place on 12-13 October.
However, while some claim it will be the best chance to see a comet this century, others have downplayed its appearance. “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,” Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society said in a video explaining the comet.
“People are asking whether this will be some kind of ‘comet of the century’. I don’t personally think that’s very likely. I think it’ll be a nice comet - and it looks as though it’s holding up for that – but it’s unlikely to be as easy to see as Neowise was in 2020 or Hale-Bopp in the late 1990s, which many of us still remember as being a really dazzling object.”
But, you never know. Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies in mid-October.