For many of us, the only way we can conceptualize the Stone Age is through our memories of watching The Flintstones. But an incredibly rare astronomical event happening this week will have us all imaging the far-off time. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is getting closer to Earth and is expected to make its big appearance between Oct. 9 and Oct. 12 for the first time in 80,000 years. Also known as Comet C/2023 A3, it was first discovered by scientists last year, and they're predicting that this "once-in-a-lifetime" event may be visible in the Northern Hemisphere with the naked eye, matching the brightness of Jupiter in the night sky.
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First things first: Comets are "frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices," as NASA breaks down. While they approach the sun, "they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet," with tails that can stretch millions of miles.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been orbiting for over 80,000 years. Therefore, it's classified as a "long-period comet," one that takes more than 200 years to orbit the Sun. It comes from the Oort Cloud, which NASA describes as "a giant spherical shell surrounding our solar system...made of icy pieces of space debris the sizes of mountains and sometimes larger."
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is expected to finally orbit past the Sun this Saturday at a distance of 44 million miles from Earth. To put that in perspective, Venus—the closest planet to Earth and our most easily visible—is 160 million miles away.
However, the comet may actually be in its prime viewing spot tomorrow, experts say.
"The thing about comets is that the closer that they are to us, to the Earth, the brighter they are, but also the closer they are to the sun, the brighter they are. So the closest approach isn’t necessarily going to be the brightest time," explained Gregory Brown, PhD, the senior public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in an interview with The Guardian.
Therefore, Oct. 9 might be the best time to spot Tsuchinshan-ATLAS with the naked eye.
As the New York Timesfurther explains, tomorrow, "it will be in just the right position for dusty debris to scatter light from the sun directly toward viewers on Earth, temporarily boosting the comet’s brilliance."
If this "scattering" effect occurs, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may even be visible during daylight, though your chances will still be best after sundown.
To get a glimpse of this rare comet, Gianluca Masi, an Italian astrophysicist and the scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, told the NYT that it's best to find a spot with little to no artificial light where you can see the western horizon unobstructed. Once the sun has gone down, she suggests looking at the spot where it set to find an object "fuzzier" than the surrounding stars. If you have access to binoculars or a telescope, you'll be able to get an even clearer view.
If you miss Tsuchinshan-ATLAS tomorrow, you'll still have a chance to see it until a few days after Oct. 12. The NYT notes that the comet may be easier to spot at that time since it'll appear higher in the sky, but it will also likely be dimmer.
Another option is to tune into the Virtual Telescope Project's live stream of the event on Oct. 9.
"Naked-eye-visible comets are rare enough as it is, and this one has the potential to be amongst the brightest that we’ve seen in the last few decades. So it’s certainly worth a go," Brown shared.
"This one is, I would say, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," agreed Masi. "This comet is for everyone."
Moreover, as NASA notes, "By early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries."
