Our galaxy is packed with wonders and mysteries—and no, this isn’t a pitch for the next Star Wars series. We’re talking about a real-life event that only happens once every 80,000 years in the Northern Hemisphere, so maybe try not to miss it: A comet not seen since the Stone Age is going to light up the night sky beginning tonight through the end of the month.
Let’s take a look at how the same comet that a real-life Fred Flintstone might have gazed upon can reappear, when it was first discovered, and how best to see it.
What is a comet anyway?
Just like with Ikea furniture, when our solar system was being formed 4.6 billion years ago, there were some spare parts. These leftovers are essentially dust and ice that orbit the sun.
At the core of a comet is a frozen nucleus that heats up as it gets closer to the sun, making it gassy. The dust and gas form a couple of cute tails. The ion tail points away from the sun, and the dust tail immediately follows the comet.
How did this comet get its name?
The celestial phenomenon in question has a couple different names. To most of us, it is known as Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, and to scientists, it is C/2023 A3.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is a combination of the two entities that first spotted it. The comet was first discovered by astronomers at the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China on January 9, 2023. One month later, eagle-eyed sky watchers in South Africa saw it on the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System, also known as ATLAS.
Where did the comet come from?
This comet hails from the Oort Cloud, which is outside our solar system, past Neptune’s orbit. To put that in perspective, it takes Tsuchinshan-ATLAS 80,000 years to orbit the sun. Pluto does it about once every 248 years.
How can you see the comet?
Scientists predict that Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be at its brightest tonight, on October 9. This is because of its proximity to the sun, which will illuminate its tail.
On October 12, the comet will be at its closest point to Earth. Scientists believe it will be visible until the end of the month, but comets can have a mind of their own.
Gianluca Masi, an Italian astrophysicist and the scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, described to the New York Times the best way to spot the comet this evening. It will be visible to the naked eye, but telescopes and binoculars will help. Masi recommends finding a dark location just after sunset, and looking low in the sky toward the western horizon for a fuzzy star.
Later in the month, he recommends looking higher up in the sky.
And if you’re having trouble seeing the comet, or your geography isn’t prime for viewing, Masi has your back. His organization is hosting a live broadcast, so you won’t have to miss a thing.