A newly discovered comet, A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is gaining visibility and might even become bright enough to be seen during the day. While it will be a fleeting spectacle, southern observers and astronauts aboard the International Space Station are already enjoying its brilliance.
The window is now open. If skies are clear, set your alarm heading into this weekend to seeat dawn. We’re already seeing great views of the comet this week from southern observers and astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The visibility window is now even creeping up to the southern tier latitudes of the contiguous United States .
Key dates coming right up include when the comet reaches perihelion this coming Friday on September 27at 0.391 Astronomical Units from the Sun, just interior to Mercury’s aphelion point. The comet then makes its closest Earth approach on October 12field of view Comet T-ATLAS as imaged from Tivoli Farm, Namibia on September 22nd .The October apparition will be a tricky one for sure. A good strategy is to use binoculars in your dawn comet patrol. Start sweeping low to the eastern horizon about an hour before local sunrise. The +1magnitude star Regulus will make a good ‘guide star’ to find the comet. The star will be about an outstretched hand’s width to the observer’s lower right.
Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Visibility Astronomy Daytime Comet
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