Stars around the world managed to capture the ‘comet of the century’ as it streaked across the northern hemisphere.
Comet A3also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, did not disappoint astronomers who expected how bright and visible it could be as it approached approximately 44 million miles from Earth on Saturday.
Images from the UK, US and Asia show the comet in the inner solar system.
The phenomenon occurs roughly every 80,000 years – meaning the comet was last visible from Earth when Neanderthals walked the planet.
Lake Murray near Columbia, South Carolina. Photo: Reuters
The comet is believed to have come from the Oort cloud – a giant spherical shell that surrounds our solar system and contains billions of objects, including comets – according to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
The comet has been billed as the “comet of the century” in some circles, RAS said.
It was discovered independently in January 2023 by two observatories – China’s Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) Observatory and South Africa’s ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) – and named after them.
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Comet A3 was previously visible from Earth between September 27 and October 2 when it traveled through the southern hemisphere.
And don’t worry if you missed it last night, it should still be up until October 30th.
Hydroelectric receiving towers at Lake Murray Dam near Columbia, South Carolina. Photo: Reuters
Kamakura city in Japan. Photo: AP
Dr. Robert Massey, deputy director of the RAS, said that obtaining a photograph of the comet may be possible, especially if a digital single-lens reflex camera is used.
The comet is visible from Trona Pinnacles, California. Photo: Reuters
A light view of the comet next to Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral in Russia. Photo: AP
If you have a good cellphone camera and a small telescope, he added, you can “hold the cellphone up against the eyepiece of the telescope and try to take a picture that way.”
Dr Massey said this method “works well” with comets like NEOWISE in 2020.
