Over the next few days, there is a good chance you will be able to admire Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas with the naked eye. The comet’s visit to Earth should be quite an exceptional experience. The next time the comet passes by Earth may not be for another 80,000 years or possibly never again.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas is already being called the ‘Comet of the Century’. In the southern hemisphere, the comet was visible during the past few weeks; since this week, every day, it has been getting more visible in the northern hemisphere.
The comet is expected to become brighter than any other comet that has passed Earth this century. It has already been observed with the naked eye.
Where and when can you spot the comet?
On 27 September, the comet reached its closest point to the sun. On 12 October, it passed closest to Earth, some 70 million kilometres from us. Over the next few days, the comet will be at its most visible here in Belgium.
Philippe Mollet of the Mira observatory estimates that the comet will be most visible next weekend, if it is not too cloudy.
‘You always need to search for the right balance. The closer a comet gets to the sun, the brighter it gets, but also the more sunlight interferes. By next weekend, the comet will already be a bit further away from the sun, there will be less interference light and it will be a bit higher in the sky, but, by then, it will also be slightly less bright.’
What is the best way to see the comet?
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas will be visible in the west and southwest for the next few days and weeks until about an hour after sunset. At first, this will still be close to the sun, but the comet will appear a little higher in the sky every day. By the end of October, the comet may no longer be visible to the naked eye and its comet tail will also disappear.
It is best to look in a dark place, facing west. With binoculars, you can see the comet and its tail even better. Or take a picture with long exposure time.