Rare comet visible in the night sky won't return for 80,000 years

(KTXL) — Look up into the sky this month and you might see a rare comet that won’t return for tens of thousands of years.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as C/2023 A3 to scientists and pronounced Choo-cheen-shahn, is expected to be visible to the naked eye across the Northern Hemisphere for several weeks in October, with the best opportunity between Oct. 12 and 26, according to NASA.

The comet has already been photographed around the world, including in the sky above the Golden Gate Bridge in California, shining as bright as some planets.

The comet got its name from the first astronomers and observers who saw it in early 2023. The Tsuchinshan Observatory in China detected it first in January, followed by a team using the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, in South Africa.

According to initial reports from astronomers, the comet’s orbit around the sun could be once every 80,000 years, making its appearance near Earth a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This image provided by Patrick Ditz shows two views of comet C/2023 A3 with bars added to indicate its angular size, seen from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, Sept. 24, 2024. (Patrick Ditz via AP)

Its closest approach to our planet will be on Saturday, Oct. 12, when it will be at a distance of 44 million miles. For perspective, Mars is about 140 million miles away.

How to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

In September and the first days of October, the comet has been visible closer to the equator and from the Southern Hemisphere, but as we approach mid-October, it will start becoming more visible across the Northern Hemisphere. It is, though, getting farther from Earth with each day, according to NASA.

If you search for it in the dawn twilight, you’ll have to look east-southeast just above the horizon. You’ll have to face west-southwest if you search for the comet in the evening.

According to Space.com, the comet will be most visible a few minutes before sunrise or a few minutes after sunset. Binoculars or a basic telescope will help give you a better view.

The outlet also said there may be opportunities to see the comet in the daytime, though skygazers are cautioned not to stare into the sun as they search for Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.

Comets are leftover debris from when the solar system formed and are composed mainly of dust, rock and ice, according to NASA. As they approach the sun, they send out gases and dust, which create their iconic tail.

Some comets completely break up from the heat of the sun, but those that survive could take many years, even centuries, before they approach the Earth again.

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, if it survives, won’t return to Earth for another 800 centuries.