‘Comet of the Century’ visible in the sky of Rio Grande do Sul; See pictures

what is called “Comet of the century“, technically defined as C/2023 A3 Tsuchenshan-AtlasIt has already begun to be seen from different parts of Brazil at dawn on the eastern horizon. Photographs of the comet have already been recorded across the country and even here in Rio Grande do Sul.

Astronomer Felipe Montero, of the National Observatory, an organization linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, explains why C/2023 A3 is called the comet of the century.

“This is because based on recent comets, from more recent times, like Hale-Bopp and Halley, which were considered comets of the century, in the case of the last century, comet C/2023 A3 could reach such brightness. The size of these comets.”

But the expert warns that it is not possible to give complete certainty about the brightness of the comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchenshan-Atlas It will come true, despite all the expectations of experts and celestial body enthusiasts;

“It is difficult to predict comets in terms of size, and in terms of the brightness that we will see in the sky, because comets can have varying brightness, depending on their proximity to the Sun and also in terms of their distance.”

Cristian de Oliveira Costa, an astronomer at the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences, stresses the importance of the comet’s passage for astrophysics studies. “Studying comets in general helps us understand more about how our solar system formed,” he says.

“The very important thing for us is to understand how the Earth contains this amount of water, and what this process was like. There are studies that suggest that comets could help us understand this amount of water on the Earth.

A tip for trying to see a comet is to download and use stargazing apps for your cell phone such as Star Walk 2 or Sky Tonight, as they allow you to identify different astronomical objects, as well as comets. Just search C/2023 A3 Tsuchenshan-Atlas In this apps finder, point your cell phone skyward near the best observing time (which will vary over the next few days).

According to astronomers. Until October 7th The comet will approach the sun and Earth, which means it will appear in the early morning hours, in the east, just before sunrise.

actually Between 7 and 11 OctoberThe comet will be very close to the sun in the sky (in the relative view from here on our planet), making it difficult to see, as the solar glare obscures its image. After October 12thThe comet begins to move away again, and its position in the sky changes. It becomes visible shortly after sunset in the west near the horizon at new times and places.

See images captured of the “Comet of the Century” in Rio Grande do Sul today and in recent days with records from the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul and municipalities in the interior of the state from collaborators at MetSul Meteorologia.

Torres | Gabriele Zaparoli

Igwe | Valder Hobos

Restinga Dry | Fabio Dornelles

Restinga Dry | Fabio Dornelles

Restinga Dry | Fabio Dornelles

Astronomy experts highlight this due to its proximity to Earth around October 13 C/2023 A3 Tsuchenshan-Atlas It will reach its maximum brightness, likely at magnitude 3.0 or 2.0 (the lower the number, the brighter the object).

According to the National Observatory, it is not yet possible to guarantee that the “Comet of the Century” can be seen with the naked eye, as this depends on the intensity of its brightness. In this case, you may need to use binoculars or telescopes to observe it.

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