Last chance to see ‘once in a lifetime’ Comet A3 that will be visible TONIGHT and won’t return for another 80,000 years
A BRIGHT comet will be visible to the naked eye tonight, before fading into darkness over the coming days.
It will be one of the last opportunities to view the comet at peak brightness before it passes Earth, not to return for another 80,000 years.
Comet C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was previously visible from Earth between 27 September and 2 October.
However, it disappeared from view when it became too close to the sun to be seen from either the northern or southern hemisphere.
Between October 12 and 13, the comet will reach its closest proximity to Earth – at a safe distance of roughly 44million miles.
It will shine at around a magnitude +2 or magnitude +1 – which is how the brightness of space objects are measured.
This puts the comet at a similar visibility to Polaris, also known as the north star.
After this weekend, the comet will begin to dim before disappearing completely around 20 October.
The space rock comes from the Oort Cloud, a giant shell around our solar system that hosts millions of comets and other icy pieces of debris.
It is characterised by the long, two-pronged tail of dust and ice that follows it, which experts say will be illuminated white and blue by the sun.
It’s this tail that also makes it more visible to stargazers on Earth during its peak brightness.
Astronauts Matthew Dominick and Dom Pettit, who are both avid astro-photographers, spotted the space rock before it was visible to the naked eye by using orbital geometry and math.
The pair, who are currently boarded on the International Space Station, caught the once in a lifetime comet on camera – as shown in the video above.
How to see Comet A3
While the comet should be visible to the naked eye, it never hurts to be prepared for a dimmer display.
Having a good pair of stargazing binoculars or a small telescope to hand will enhance the view.
Comet A3 will be in the constellation Ophiuchus above the west-facing horizon.
You can download an astronomy app to help you find Ophiuchus in the sky.
It’s important to note that cloud cover may scupper your view of the ‘once in a lifetime’ comet.
The moon’s light may also interfere with the brightness of the space rock.
What's the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
Here's what you need to know, according to Nasa...
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth)
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids
- Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it’ll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn’t vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth’s atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However rather than being made mostly of rock, a comet contains lots of ice and gas, which can result in amazing tails forming behind them (thanks to the ice and dust vaporizing)