Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) [updated]

[Waspie_Dwarf]

 

Comet C/2023 A3 is at perihelion. This is how to see it in October, when it could become naked-eye

Find out how to see the highly-anticipated comet at its best in October.

 

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Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is set to take centre stage in October 2024.

A much-anticipated object, C/2023 A3 is predicted to be above naked-eye brightness during October.

After swinging rapidly through its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) in late September, in October we'll get to see the aftermath of its solar encounter.

Read More: ➡️ BBC Sky at Night Magazine

 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Will This Comet Be the Brightest of 2024?

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) could soon shine very bright in Earth’s skies

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In the next two weeks, a recently discovered comet will almost certainly become bright enough to see without optical aid; just your eyes and a dark site will suffice. It might even briefly brighten so much that you’ll be able to see it during the day.

Or it might not. Comets are irritating that way. As Canadian comet hunter David Levy once quipped, “Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want.”

Read More: ➡️ Scientific American

 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Comet A3 explainer: How and when to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

Royal Astronomical Society Video

 

[jethrofloyd]

How and when to see two moons (temporarily) on these days? 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

3 hours ago, jethrofloyd said:

How and when to see two moons (temporarily) on these days? 

You want be able to see the temporary moon, it's too small to be seen without a large telescope. 

[+joc]

On 9/27/2024 at 6:35 PM, Waspie_Dwarf said:

Comet A3 explainer: How and when to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

Royal Astronomical Society Video

 

I am going to look for it in the morning!  It's always still dark when I get up.

 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Ancient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass By Earth in Mid-October

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An ancient celestial traveler identified in 2023 will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars – because it won’t be back for another 80,000 years.

The Oort Cloud comet, called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China’s Tsuchinshan – or “Purple Mountain” – Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa, and was officially named in honor of both observatories.

Read More: ➡️ NASA

 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

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Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) graces the dawn sky over the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab, just outside Tucson, Arizona in this image. It was captured in the morning hours before sunrise on Saturday 28 September 2024 by Rob Sparks from NOIRLab. In the foreground is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, which is in the final stages of being transformed into a must-see location for visitors to Arizona, currently named the Windows Center. 

Read More: ➡️ NOIRLab