A new comet, discovered independently in observatories Tsuchinshan of China (January 9, 2023) and by the surveillance program ATLAS from Sutherland, South Africa (February 22), will be seen around the world. San Juan will be part of this visual, which will be between the September 27th and the October 12 ° of this year.
In dialogue with Zonda Diario, he research professor at the Félix Aguilar Observatory, Erik Gonzálezexplained that on the first mentioned date the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be “at its closest point to the sun” .
This stage is called perihelion and this will allow sunlight to act more intensely on the surface and generate a sublimation process, which causes its disintegration. “It makes the comet go from being in a solid state to a gaseous state. And, also, the same mechanical action of this volatilized material tears off small pieces. That means thatwhen it approaches the sun, it forms a tail. From afar you can see a little dot.”he stated.
“From our hemisphere it will be seen at night. During the day, it is practically impossible to see a comet. They are always seen at dusk before the sun sets or at dawn, before it rises,” González highlighted.
What is the best time to see it?
On September 27, the comet will be in its periice stage and will be the best time to see it. “In the days before and after, it will be clearly visible with telescopes and, perhaps, visible to the naked eye. Then, on October 12, it will have its closest approach to Earth. Both our planet and the comet have their path to the sun. There is a point on these two paths that is the closest possible.” he explained.
“It is always expected that they will be seen with the naked eye, especially when it is a new comet. But we are not sure, it is very difficult to predict”, the specialist clarified.
We will have optimal conditions to see it, during October, from San Juan, especially on new moon nights.
What can this comet produce?
González rules out that the comet could produce any change in the weather or other conditions. “The tail of a comet like Halley, for example, once occupied (in 1985 it was its last passage) almost a third of the inner solar system, but the tail is mostly volatilized dust and all of that fits into a small suitcase. “Only, it reflects sunlight and because of the volume it occupies, you can see something.”he explained.
In that sense, he assured that “it is not at all an amount of matter that has any kind of impact.”
“Us About 2 tons of matter fall to Earth in orbit around the sun per day. These are grains of dust, small meteors. What material from the comet could impact is insignificant, it has no effect. The only thing it can generate is some astonishment in observers if it develops a cute tail, nothing more,” mentioned.
Highlights by González to Zonda Diario
- “It will be passing through its perihelion, its closest point on its path around the sun on September 27, at only 0.39 times the distance between the earth and the sun. This is 39 AU.”
- “It will be at its closest point to the earth on October 12, 2024, at 0.56 AU, that is, half the distance between the earth and the sun (150,000,000 km).”
- “It is expected that by October it will be visible to the naked eye, from San Juan and around the world”
- “Before passing through perihelion it will be visible at dawn and after passing through perihelion
- “We will have optimal conditions to see it, during October, from San Juan, especially on new moon nights” .
For more information about the comet CLICK HERE.
