After disappearing for a few days while basking in the glare of the Sun, comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) – nicknamed the “Comet of the Century” – reappeared in the sky on Thursday (10). This Saturday (12), it passes through the perigee region (the point of its orbit closest to Earth).
About the name “Comet of the Century”:
- The letter “C” indicates that it is a non-periodic comet, meaning that it originates in the Oort Cloud and can pass through the solar system only once or take thousands of years to return;
- The designation “2023 A3” reveals that it was the third object of its kind discovered in the first half of January 2023, while the suffix “Tsuchinshan-Atlas” refers to the institutions involved in its discovery;
- The title “the century” raises controversy, as there are experts who do not believe that its brightness will exceed the brightness of Comet McNutt, which passed in 2007 with a magnitude of -5.5.
- Currently its size is 0.4.
- Remember, the brighter an object appears, the smaller its size (an inverse relationship). The Sun, for example, the brightest object in the sky, has an apparent value of -27.
According to the observation guide InTheSky.orgThe distance between the comet located in the Virgo constellation and Earth at the end of this week is 0.46 astronomical units (AU), equivalent to about 70 million kilometers.
In Brazil, the object will not be observable either at perihelion or in the next few days, because it will remain very close to the Sun, and it should begin to be seen on Saturday (19), in the constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent, around 7 p.m. Brasilia time), 20 degrees above the eastern horizon.
Depending on the platform Starwalk.spaceThe comet’s tail is actually 21 degrees long, which is about 42 times the size of the full moon’s disk.
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After passing the Sun at a distance similar to Mercury’s orbit, the temperature of C/2023 A3’s coma of dust and ice has risen dramatically. As the ice particles evaporate, they quickly escape into space, carrying a large amount of dust that will expand to form a long glowing tail. “History shows that comets that pass close to the Sun have more impressive tails, as they form shortly after being ‘baked’ by the heat of the star, and this is the case with comet C/2023 A3,” the guide says.
Comet observation predictions say:
- Between October 13 and 14, the object’s magnitude will increase from -1.0 to 1.0, meaning it will lose brightness, but as it moves away from the Sun, it will be easier to see (in the planet’s northern hemisphere). Including with the naked eye.
- From October 15 to 19, it reaches a magnitude of 4.5, and can produce an antitail—a bright band that appears to point toward the sun, opposite the other tail;
- Between October 20 and 31, its magnitude ranges from 4.5 to 7.0, where it will be visible in the Southern Hemisphere with binoculars and telescopes. During these days, the comet’s tail will begin to grow rapidly, potentially reaching 20 degrees (about 40 times the size of the full moon) in the dark sky;
- In November, the comet should reach magnitude 8, which is very weak indeed.
To know the best moments to view the comet in your city and how to determine its location in the sky, it is recommended to use one of the monitoring applications such as: Stellarium, Star Walk, Star chart, Sky Safari or SkyView.
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