New Delhi

Stargazers are in for a treat in October as two comets shine bright in the sky. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has already been around for a few days and is now starting to shine brighter in the night sky. Meanwhile, towards the end of the month, another comet, a sungrazer will become visible. The second one is extremely new and was spotted by the ATLAS survey telescope in Hawaii on Sep 27.

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Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, Comet A3

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as Comet A3, is slowly becoming brighter and will be visible to the naked eye soon. It is transitioning into the night sky and on Oct 12, it will make its closest approach to Earth when its brightness will be at its peak. 

Till now, Comet A3 has been visible mainly to those living in the Tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. However, soon it will become clearer in the Northern Hemisphere, presenting the best viewing opportunity.

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Right now, it is travelling towards the inner solar system and is shining as bright as the other stars during twilight. However, the sun's brightness has hampered visibility.

You can spot it either very low around 25 minutes before sunrise on Oct 7 and Oct 8, or 25 minutes after sunset on Oct 10 and Oct 11. Try and check for it on all these days. However, Oct 12 is still the best day to look for it in the Northern Hemisphere and equatorial regions after sunset.

Also Read: After A3, super bright 'sungrazer' comet will be visible at noon

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It will then slowly start moving away from Earth in the next 10 days. The comet last visited Earth around 80,000 years ago, a time when Neanderthals walked the planet. So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone.

Comet C/2024 S1 (Atlas)

The second comet, initially named A11bP7I and now called C/2024 S1 (Atlas), will also be visible to the naked eye. It will so bright that it might even be visible in the sky during daytime towards the end of October.

It belongs to the "Kreutz sungrazer" group of comets and will make its closest approach to Earth on Oct 23. It will then move to its closest point, or perihelion, with the sun, on Oct 28. Experts say that this would be the best time to view it. It will shine at a brightness of magnitude -8.3, brighter than Venus, the brightest object in the sky.

However, during the former dates, that is from Oct 24-28, C/2024 S1 (Atlas) is expected to be best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and equatorial regions before sunrise. From Oct 29-31, it will start becoming visible from the Northern Hemisphere after sunset. Although, it first needs to survive its trip to the sun.