Comet last seen by Neanderthals to brighten night skies
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS won't return for another 80,000 years, but astronomers say it could be visible to the naked eye this weekend.
Sky-gazers in the Northern Hemisphere can spot comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS with their naked eyes on Saturday, astronomers said.
It has been dubbed "the comet of the century" because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the United Kingdom's Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
On Saturday, the comet will come within about 44 million miles (nearly 71 million kilometers) of Earth. It will initially appear low on the western horizon about an hour after sunset.
It was initially discovered in 2023 by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and an ATLAS telescope in South Africa last year.
"It'll be this fuzzy circle with a long tail stretching away from it," said Sally Brummel, planetarium manager at the Bell Museum in Minnesota.
RAS Deputy Director Dr. Robert Massey said taking photos of the comet may be possible, particularly using a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.
