The world awaits the visit of C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), a celestial body that appears every 26 thousand years and this time it will be one of the brightest ever seen. Discovered on January 9, 2023, the path of this comet can be located from the free application Sky Tonight, available for mobile devices.
In very simple steps, you can download the app from Google Play and search the lupita for the name of the celestial body: C/2023 A3. In a matter of seconds, the current path of the comet and its trajectory in the coming months will appear in red.
There is great expectation surrounding the visit of the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), discovered in 2020 by the Tsuchinshan observatories in China and ATLAS in South Africa. This celestial body is special since experts expect that during its journey it will pass close to the Sun at a distance similar to the orbit of Mercury.
During this journey, it is expected that the comet can develop a very bright comet tail, so much so that it can be observed with the naked eye from certain hemispheres of the Earth. “After passing by the Sun at a distance similar to Mercury’s orbit, C/2023 A3’s ice-dust coma will heat up considerably. As particles from ice evaporate, they will quickly escape into space, taking with them a large amount of dust that will spread out in a long, bright tail“, they explained from the site Starwalk.space.
How to observe the comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Currently the comment is close to Jupiter, so by September 27 it will be known whether or not it resists its passage to the Sun, since it may be destroyed. However, the closest point to Earth will be on October 2.
- June: It can be observed more in the southern hemisphere than the northern one.
- July: night visibility in the southern hemisphere.
- August: Starting this month and reaching September, the comet will pass close to the Sun.
- October: It is the month where the comet will be at its brightest, so it can be seen with the naked eye on October 12.
- November: the comet begins to move away from Earth: “Over the next 20 years, the comet will move towards the edge of the Solar System and will not return for another 26,000 years,” they added from Starwalk.space.
The comet of the century arrives on Earth: how to see it from Argentina
According to the site Deep Spacethe comet can be seen from Buenos Aires “above the morning horizon at altitudes from 9º to 17º between September 12 and October 4”. Although they clarify that there will also be an opportunity on October 14 at 10º altitude at sunset. However, these are estimates since due to some change in its trajectory or its probable destruction when passing near the Sun, the outlook may change in the future.
Seven recommendations to see a comet better
- Select the recommended time to observe it
- Do it in a place where the sky is clear
- If possible, use specialized tools
- Have guides, maps and apps on hand
- Do it in time and don’t rush the experience
- Do not do it alone since it is better enjoyed in a group.
- Accompany the experience with retransmissions of the event
