A comet that has an orbit of 80,000 years is making its pass by Earth right now, and skygazers may be able to see it with their naked eye, according to NASA.
The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as C/2023 A3, is approaching its closest pass to Earth after making its closest pass to the sun on Wednesday. On Saturday, at 11:39 a.m., the comet got as close to Earth as it ever will, passing within 43,911,824 miles from Earth.
While the tail of the comet was pointing directly at Earth, it has now pivoted eastward, making the comet, which is massive in size and length, visible in the night sky. The tail is composed of tiny pieces of ice and dust and is believed to be as long as 18 million miles.
Since Friday night, the comet has been visible in the western sky just after sunset and will continue to be until Oct. 26 if the weather conditions allow.
According to astronomers, the comet will become the largest visible object in our solar system after the moon.
Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, shared with NPR just how rare the comet is, saying bright comets are “very rare and are usually newcomers to the inner solar system.”
For those looking to get a view of the night time spectacle, Cooke says the naked eye will work, but using an aid will be even more amazing.
“Comets look OK to the unaided eye, but with a pair of binoculars, they’ll knock your socks off,” Cooke told NPR. “It’ll be really good in a pair of binoculars. So, if you got a pair of binoculars, why don’t you bring those along and take a look at the comet.”
For more information on where the comet will be in the night sky and how to view it the best, visit The Sky Live.