100 times brighter than any other comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is set to light up the sky this weekend!
A celestial body made of rock and ice, comets offer an unparalleled spectacle as they approach Earth, leaving long clouds of gas trailing in the sky. This weekend, a comet is approaching and keeping scientists on their toes. as it approaches the Sun. This comet, which comes from the Oort cloud, is distinguished by an exceptional luminosity, estimated to be 100 times brighter than all other comets observed during the 21st century.
This is comet C/2023 A3, named Tsuchinshan-Atlas in honor of the two observatories at the origin of its discovery: the Purple Mountain Observatory of Tsuchinshan in China in January 2023, followed by the ATLAS program telescope on February 22, 2023, which discovered it the following month from South Africa. This comet quickly attracted attention because of its brilliance. This Friday, September 27, it reaches its perihelion, its shortest distance from the Sun, at about 59 million kilometers.
To seize the chance to contemplate it this weekend, the Paris Observatory recommends observing it until Monday, September 30, every morning at dawn at least one hour before sunrise, above the east-southeast horizon. The spectacle will be visible at the naked eye, although it may be advisable to equip yourself with binoculars to observe it better. The ideal is to choose a site with a clear horizon, far from light pollution, in the direction indicated. A little tip: to find out when and where to look for it from the place where you find yourself, use the Star Walk 2 application, downloadable on your smartphone.
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Then, if you miss the appointment this weekend or you are absolutely not a Early in the morning, the comet will be visible in the evening starting on Sunday, October 13, when it will be at its closest to Earth, 71 million kilometers away. You will need to look at a clear western horizon, at least an hour after sunset. It will even be possible to observe its tail rising higher and higher in the sky, reflecting the light of the Sun.
Its approach to Earth is a rare event eagerly awaited by scientists. Based on the IMCCE's review of current data, there is a strong likelihood that Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas will become a great comet, becoming the brightest in the Northern Hemisphere, with an estimated apparent brightness of -3 to -4, since Hale-Bopp in 1997, when it had a maximum magnitude of -1.8. Now that you know everything, don't miss this celestial spectacle because its last passage near the Sun dates back to around 80,000 years ago!