Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Best time and day to see the icy visitor
Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been moving in our solar system and will finally be visible to the naked eye on Sat (Oct 12). The once-in-a-lifetime comet has an orbit of 80,000 years, which means the last time it visited us, Neanderthals were walking on the planet.
The comet is coming closest to Earth on Oct 12 after reaching perihelion with the sun last week. On this day, at 11:39 am ET, it will be just 43,911,824 miles from Earth. For India, this translatesto 9:09 pm. So be ready to catch a glimpse of the comet on this iconic night.
The comet's tail will be pointing right at Earth on this day which will start moving eastward in the coming days. This would make for dramatically different viewing each night.
The head of the comet measures a whopping 130,000 miles in diameter, while the tail comprising tiny pieces of ice and dust, is believed to be as long as 18 million miles.
Beginning Friday (Oct 11), the comet will be visible in the night sky for several days. Just look towards the western sky right after sunset to see the fascinating cosmic visitor.
In the coming days, the comet will become the largest visible object in our solar system, after our moon.
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Also Read:Two comets are in the sky this October. These are the best days to see them
On Oct 12, Saturday, around 45 minutes after sunset, the comet will be about 6 degrees above the west-southwest horizon. It will set about 45 minutes later.
From then on, every night next week, the comet will move three degrees higher in the sky and will set about 16 minutes later.
By October 19, the comet will rise to about 30 degrees above the horizon. After this night, it will begin to fade and won't remain visible to the naked eye.
Also Read:Sun storm might kill the comet, but be ready to be amazed by auroras
Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has mostly been visible only in the Tropics and the Southern Hemisphere till now. But now people in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see it.
About Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Although Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is 80,000 years old, it was only discovered in 2023. It has come from the Oort Cloud, a distant region of our solar system that is vast and spherical and filled with icy objects.
