Comet last seen by Neanderthals 80,000 years ago could be visible again this weekend
A comet that has not been seen since the Stone Age could be spotted this weekend.
It is so exciting that astronomers have labelled it ‘the comet of the century’ and it has the name Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).
The comet was last seen from Earth by Neanderthals more than 80,000 years ago and stargazers have already spotted it in the southern hemisphere this time around.
But now it is our turn in the northern hemisphere and it could be seen as early as today until October 30 with binoculars or even with the naked eye.
Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) said taking photos of the comet may be possible, particularly if using a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.
The comet comes from the Oort Cloud – a giant spherical shell that surrounds our solar system and contains billions of objects including comets.
The news comes just days after the UK was treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights with the natural phenomenon visible as far south as London and Kent.
Stunning pictures captured the aurora borealis across the UK as it filled the sky with pink and green hues.
The Northern Lights, most closely associated with the Arctic and other countries closer to the poles, are visible further south at the moment thanks to a geomagnetic storm raging in the atmosphere.
Plus, it was a clear and cloudless night for many, making it even easier to spot the aurora borealis.
Two solar flares erupted from the sun last week, and it’s thought the Earth ‘clipped the edge’ of the two flares, creating the geomagnetic storm which signals the arrival of the Northern Lights.
This latest arrival of the aurora was caused by a fast coronal mass ejection – also known as a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field – which left the sun on Wednesday, causing severe geomagnetic storms.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.