Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan Atlas) flies past Earth. With a bit of luck you can even see it with the naked eye.
Astronomical spectacles have fascinated people for thousands of years. Even today, celestial phenomena such as shooting stars, supermoons or northern lights have not lost their fascination. And occasionally there are events that have a very special appeal – in the truest sense of the word.
One of the most famous phenomena in the sky was Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Because it was so large and bright, it could be observed from Earth with the naked eye for long periods of time. But now a comet is approaching that could be even brighter.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan Atlas) passes the Earth at the weekend and at the beginning of the week – and may even be seen with the naked eye. Experts recommend choosing a spot with a good view of the western horizon – and without buildings – after sunset.
The evening star, the bright planet Venus, shines there. If you stretch out your arm, you will find the comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas a good two fists to the right of Venus, as Uwe Pilz from the Association of Star Friends explains. Another possible measurement is the distance between the thumb and little finger of the widely spread hand. “The arm must be kept straight, as far away from the eye as possible.”
If you want to see Tsuchinshan Atlas on Friday, you have to be a professional. The reason: The sky is still too bright, explains Carolin Liefke from the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg to the German Press Agency (dpa). Things could still be difficult on Saturday, but binoculars could help.
In the following evenings, the comet will be slightly higher and easier to see: As twilight turns into night, its long tail will still be visible, even with the naked eye. It will probably be best seen at the beginning of the week – if the weather cooperates. Afterwards, Tsuchinshan Atlas rapidly becomes fainter as it moves away from the Sun and Earth. In addition, the light of the waxing moon disrupts the spectacle. There will be a full moon on Thursday, October 17th – the biggest and brightest of the year.
Around October 20th, a window of real darkness opens between dusk and moonrise, at least in places far from the influence of city light. However, the comet, which is high in the sky at this point, will have already faded and shrunk considerably. “Visibility with the naked eye ends around October 25th, for those with experience under a dark sky perhaps a few days later,” said the chairman of the Sternfreunde, Uwe Pilz, when asked by the German Press Agency.
Until recently, it was not clear whether the comet would actually pass through Earth. At the end of September, C/2023 A3 had reached its perihelion – this refers to the point in the comet’s orbit closest to the Sun. If it had come too close to the sun, it could have disintegrated due to the extreme heat.