A newly discovered comet, named C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), is making its way towards the inner solar system at a speed of 180,000 mph. Scientists predict that it may shine brighter than the stars in the night sky. Originally reported to return in 80,000 years, NASA revised their calculations and now believe it may never come back.
Despite its brightness, NASA states that the comet is unlikely to be visible during daylight hours, except possibly at twilight. With only nine comets bright enough to be spotted during the day in the past 300 years, binoculars or telescopes may be necessary to spot Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the night sky.
Discovered on Jan. 9, 2023, at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China, the comet was initially thought to be an asteroid. However, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa confirmed it as a comet on Feb. 22, 2023. With a diameter of about 2 miles and accompanied by a tail stretching tens of millions of miles, comets are frozen remnants from the solar system’s formation.
When comets pass closer to the sun, they heat up and release gases and dust, forming a glowing head and tail that can stretch millions of miles. As dust and gases stream away from the nucleus, sunlight and solar particles push them into two distinct tails – one white with dust, and one bluish with electrically charged gas molecules. The ion tail always points directly away from the sun.
Overall, the arrival of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) presents a rare and exciting astronomical event for skywatchers and scientists alike.
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