This October, prepare for a celestial spectacle that hasn’t graced our skies for 80,000 years. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, officially designated C/2023 A3, will be making its closest approach to Earth. Dubbed the “comet of the century” by some in the astronomy community, this cosmic visitor has the potential to shine brighter than the surrounding stars, even surpassing the brilliance of Jupiter and Venus.
While the exact brightness of the comet is difficult to predict, the possibility of such a spectacular celestial display has skywatchers around the world buzzing with excitement. Whether you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the comet with the naked eye depends on its ultimate brightness, but the anticipation is undeniable.
“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,” said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society. “I would think that you’re going to need a pair of binoculars to pick it out, or a telescope if you have the right kind of telescope with a wide field and you know exactly where to look. But who knows, it might be visible to the naked eye as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Comets, those celestial wanderers, are essentially balls of rock and ice. As they venture closer to the sun, the ice begins to sublimate, transforming into gas. The sunlight reflects off the ice particles, making them appear to glow, and the escaping gas creates the iconic cometary tail.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is currently on its journey past the sun, but it’s expected to reach peak brilliance when it makes its closest pass by Earth in mid-October. To catch a glimpse of this cosmic wonder, start looking now towards the constellation Sextans, in the eastern sky, around an hour before sunrise (for those in the Northern Hemisphere). As we approach mid-October, the comet will become increasingly bright.
For the best viewing experience, find a location away from city lights and other sources of artificial illumination, and look just above the horizon. If you’re keen on capturing the comet’s ethereal beauty with your camera, it’s certainly possible. “It helps if you’ve got a good DSLR camera and can take a series of exposures — a lot of astrophotographers do so successfully,” Massey shared. “Also, if you have a good mobile phone camera and a small telescope, you can hold the mobile phone against the eyepiece of the telescope and try to take a picture that way. That worked well with comets like NEOWISE and it might work well with this one, depending on how bright it is.
“And if it’s genuinely easy to spot, you might, might be able to pick up your mobile phone, rest on something, and just point and shoot.”
So, mark your calendars for October and prepare to witness a once-in-80,000-year celestial event. With a little luck and clear skies, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will leave an unforgettable mark on our night sky.
