- Now is your chance to see comet A3.
- Look to the west after sunset.
- Dark, clear skies will help you get the best view of the comet.
Now is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch a stunning comet soar through the night sky.
Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, also known as Comet A3, will likely be visible across the United States until October 24. But it will dim as the month goes on, moving away from the sun and rising higher in the sky.
Your chances of getting a good view depend, of course, on the weather.
How to find the comet:
-Enjoy a clear view of the western horizon as much as possible.
- Look in this direction from about 15 minutes after sunset until about 45 minutes after, depending on your exact location. The comet will be fairly low on the horizon.
Binoculars or a small telescope will help, as will keeping your eyes out of the light to preserve your night vision.
Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas, was captured above the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Sunday, October 14, 2024.
(Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Weather.com’s top meteorologists Dina Knightley He adds:
– Sunset light may highlight the comet, making it easier to see.
– Many of us in the United States have a good chance of seeing it tonight because the cloud cover won’t be bad.
-Set a reminder to check after sunset in the western sky.
Why this is a big deal:
Comet A3 will not enter the inner solar system again for another 80,000 years, if it does.
Scientists thought that the comet might disintegrate as it passed closest to the sun on September 27. NASA astronomer Bill Cook says: “Comets are… More fragile Than people might realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on internal water ice, and volatiles like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
– NASA says the comet could eventually exit our universe like a pebble from a slingshot, thanks to “the gravitational influence of other worlds and the ‘jetting’ effect caused by the release of gases from the comet during its solar transit.”
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