A comet that has not been seen from Earth since Neanderthals were alive has reappeared in the sky, with astronomers saying it may be visible with the naked eye.
Astronomers discovered comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchenshan-Atlas) early last year, and it is thought to orbit the sun about every 80,000 years on an extremely long path.
Dr Gregory Brown, chief public astronomy officer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, said the comet is believed to have originated in the Oort Cloud, which lies outside the orbit of Neptune.
“[This is] “The vast, almost spherical region around the Sun, which contains icy remnants from the formation of the solar system,” he said.
But now the comet is in our neck of the woods. After reaching its closest approach to the Sun at the end of last month, it is expected to do the same with Earth around October 13.
“The thing about comets is that the closer they are to us, to Earth, the brighter they are, but also the closer they are to the sun, the brighter they are. So the closer approach is not necessarily going to be the brightest time,” Brown said, noting That could happen around October 9.
But at this point, the comet will be almost directly between Earth and the Sun. As a result, Brown said, the best time to look for them would be a few days before and after.
“Comets that can be seen with the naked eye are rare enough, and this one has the potential to be among the brightest we’ve seen in the last few decades. So it’s definitely worth a shot,” he said.
Brown said it is difficult to ascertain how bright the comet will be as it approaches.
He added: “From the looks of it, it is already visible with the naked eye in good conditions, and there is a possibility that it will become considerably brighter.” “But how bright it is? We honestly don’t know.”
Brown said stargazers in the northern and southern hemispheres have a chance to see the comet.
He added that currently, viewers should look east in the early morning before sunrise, towards the constellation Hexapod.
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But, he said, “it will swing on the other side of the sun over the next few days.”
As a result, as of October 13, Brown said the best chance of seeing the comet is late in the evening, after sunset, looking west toward the constellation Storms.
Brown said the comet will likely appear as a spot in the sky to the naked eye, although its tail should be visible with binoculars or a small telescope.
Even if the display isn’t as spectacular as experts hope, stargazers can enjoy knowing they’re among the first to have laid eyes on the comet since the Stone Age.
“There was obviously no way to know how bright the comet would be, how easy it would be to see,” Brown said.
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