Have you ever seen the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet? If you haven’t yet seen the bright, icy space rock from the edge of the solar system, it’s not too late. But I need to see it quickly.
The coma and long tail of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), currently shine at magnitude +0.5. It is within the range of what the human eye can understand. Although it has likely passed its peak by now, it is likely to remain a visible object to the naked eye after sunset in the west and possibly well into the weekend.
After that, it will likely only be visible through binoculars for the remainder of October and into early November. After that you will need a telescope.
When and where can I see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?
Choosing the best telescope:
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To see the comet in the Northern Hemisphere, look west about 45 minutes after sunset. It is located just below and to the right of Arcturus, a bright red giant star in the constellation Boötes.
It’s difficult to see at dusk. Fortunately, comet watchers can now wait up to two hours afterward to catch the comet in darker skies.
Because visibility is essentially a balance between the three elements of brightness, sky darkness, and moonlight, there is something to be careful about. But now, despite being higher in the night sky, it inevitably gets darker as it gets physically farther away.
Why does the brightness of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS change?
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS appears higher in the western sky each night and stays in the sky longer, but it also becomes fainter each night as it moves away from Earth and the Sun.
On Monday, October 14, it will be 73 million miles (73 million kilometers) from Earth and 25 degrees from the Sun, but on Friday, October 18, it will be 52 million miles (84 million kilometers) away and 40 degrees from the Sun. sun. By Sunday, that distance will increase to 57 million miles (92 million kilometers), or 45 degrees from the Sun. This comet is really moving!
When will Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS be visible last night?
Another issue this week is the bright Moon, which is getting closer to becoming the full ‘Hunter’s Moon’ on Thursday October 17th. Unfortunately, this moon is also the brightest full moon of the year, a ‘supermoon’, lighting up the 2024 night sky right down to the beach. You need darkness to see the comet.
Unfortunately, Friday, October 18th arrives and the moon will rise late all weekend. The Moon will not be in effect until Sunday, October 20th. It came at just the right time and will help Sunday provide one of the darkest skies yet to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS with the naked eye. It may be the last one, but if you miss it, don’t lose hope and keep watching until Saturday, October 26th.
Author David H. Levy wrote: Comet: Creator and Destroyer“Comets are like cats: they have a tail and they do exactly what you want them to do.” Armed with good binoculars, you may have a chance to see Comet Siqinshan-ATLAS for some time.
