The bright comet C/2023 could be seen from the sky of Patagoniathrough telescopes and binoculars, between the end of September and the beginning of October if it does not disintegrate when passing so close to the Sun. This celestial body was discovered in February 2023 through the Tsuchinshan teams, from China, and Atlas (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) from South Africa.
Physicist Guillermo Abramson, Conicet researcher and amateur astrologer, ruled out that it is “the comet of the century.” «We saw the comet of the century in 2007 and it was Comet McNaught. I don’t think we’ll see another one like it.«, he evaluated. On that occasion, that comet developed a long filamentary tail that spread across the sky and was visible to the naked eye to observers in the Southern Hemisphere after sunset.
«It was a crazy thing. As the sun set, the tail of the comet began to be seen crossing the sky. “People gathered at the entrance to Bariloche,” he said and added: “. «Many confuse the comet with shooting stars, but the comet is still in the sky as if it were a star. McNaught’s tail could be seen like a cloud crossing the sky. We’ll see what happens with this one, but I don’t think it’s a particularly notable comet.«.
He explained that “At first, it seemed that people would be able to see it with the naked eye, without using a telescope, to take photos. Unfortunately, in the last two weeks the increase in brightness began to iron out. As the comet approaches the Sun, it appears increasingly brighter and specialists predict the brightness it will reach. “The original predictions were that October was going to be very bright, but in recent weeks it started to get less bright,” he warned.
The suspicion, he said, is that the comet may have fractured. So there are two possibilities: that this has happened and finally, two comets are seen instead of one (something that has already happened) or it disintegrates and nothing is seen.
«The predictions today are that it will be a relatively bright comet, but it will not be visible to the naked eye but with binoculars. Comets are like cats: they have a tail and do whatever they want. What the comet’s brightness will be like is difficult to know. All comets are different. We know their orbit and where they are going to move. But we cannot know how bright it will be or how much its tail will occupy the sky,” he said.
He considered that, in any case, «it’s worth paying attention«. However, only at the end of July will it be known if the phenomenon will be only for “cometologists.”
«It was discovered in China and South Africa early last year, through robotic observatories that constantly check the sky for asteroids that could be dangerous to Earth. In this way, they discover comets“said Abramson.
“At this moment,” he said, “it can be seen at nightfall in the sky north of Bariloche. As the weeks go by it will get closer to the east. It will pass behind the Sun and we will see it again from the Southern Hemisphere when it reappears and becomes a comet at dawn. It will only be a few days. But the best time to observe it, if it survives, will be mid-October«.
He mentioned that during those days, there will be a full moon which will “conspire against” being able to observe it.
We will also have to hope that it does not disintegrate. He said that even today, it is far from the Sun as it is at the distance of Mars.
Abramson pointed out that the comet’s nucleus is a solid object, composed of ice and rocks in powder form. The ice, as it approaches the Sun, begins to evaporate, the comet leaves it behind and the tail forms. «The comet will not pass the Sun. It has an open orbit, it is not periodic. It will be your first visit to the Sun and your last. “It comes from deep space and will return to deep space,” he concluded.
