Comet last spotted in Neanderthal times, ‘once in every 80,000 years’

 

Comet last spotted in Neanderthal times to appear this month

 

 

 

Comets

 

Comet last seen in Neanderthal times could be sighted from UK this weekend

*comet  [kάmit] 혜성 

* 혜성 [彗星] : 반점 또는 성운 모양으로 보이고, 때로는 태양의 반대쪽을 향한 꼬리를 수반하는 태양계 내의 천체

 

Called the ‘comet of the century’, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (Comet A3) was last visible from Earth 80,000 years ago

 

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Comet A3 is seen near the village of Aguas Blancas in Uruguay. Photograph: Mariana Suárez/AFP/Getty Images

 

PA Media

Fri 11 Oct 2024 23.44 BST

 

 

A comet that was last visible when Neanderthals walked the Earth could be spotted with the naked eye this weekend, scientists have said.

Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has been called the “comet of the century” because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Astronomers said it would last have been visible from our planet about 80,000 years ago, and was only discovered in January 2023.

 

Stargazers in the southern hemisphere have already glimpsed Comet A3 but it can now also be seen in the northern hemisphere, the society said. Between 12 and 30 October, people may be able to see the comet using binoculars or even with the naked eye. Its closest pass will be on Saturday, at a distance of about 44m miles.

To see the comet, stargazers have been told to look to the west just after sunset, which is 6.13pm in London. The comet’s tail, thought to be about 18m miles long, will be a prominent feature.

 

In a video on the society’s website, the deputy director Dr Robert Massey said taking photos of the comet may be possible, particularly if using a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.

According to RAS, the comet comes from the Oort Cloud – a giant spherical shell that surrounds our solar system and contains billions of objects including comets.

 

 This article was amended on 12 October 2024 to replace the top image. The original image supplied by an agency did not show Comet A3.

 

 

BBC News

Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was seen over the hills near the village of Aguas Blancas in Uruguay at dawn on 28 September

 

Reuters

The comet was spotted from the island of Gran Canaria in Spain on 28 September

 

Comet that hasn't been seen for 80,000 years will be visible in the night sky

 

According to NASA, the comet will come within about 44 million miles of Earth, marking its first appearance since an era when Neanderthals walked the planet.

 

Photo by: NASA via CNN Newsource

A comet known as C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday.

 

By: Taylor O'Bier

Posted 8:07 AM, Oct 13, 2024

 

Scientists said a comet known as the Oort Cloud comet — or C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS — will pass by Earth on Saturday for the first time in 80,000 years.

According to NASA, the comet will come within about 44 million miles of Earth, marking its first appearance since an era when Neanderthals walked the planet.

 

NASA discovered comet to shine past Earth this weekend

Published October 13th, 2024 - 06:58 GMT

https://www.albawaba.com/editors-choice/nasa-discovered-comet-shine-past-earth-1589105

NASA discovered comet to shine past Earth this weekend | Al Bawaba

A comet just discovered last year by observers will whizz past Earth from 44 million miles away but leave a trail of dust and gases visible to the naked

www.albawaba.com

 

 

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A comet just discovered last year by observers will whizz past Earth from 44 million miles away but leave a trail of dust and gases visible to the naked eye, NASA said.

 

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday and won't be back for about 80,000 years, the space agency said. It is about two miles in diameter and its tail extends millions of miles.

Bill Cooke, of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said the comet will appear in the sky like a fireball.

 

How to see a ‘once in every 80,000 years’ comet over UK in October 2024

Jen Mills

Published Sep 29, 2024, 2:29pm

https://metro.co.uk/2024/09/29/see-a-once-80-000-years-comet-uk-october-2024

 

A long exposure photograph of the comet over Lake Pukaki, New Zealand (Picture: Max Inwood)

 

 

A comet last visible from Earth when Neanderthals were walking the planet is back in the inner solar system, and you might be able to see it next month.

 

Comet A3, known in full as C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), was discovered in January last year and was predicted to be potentially one of the brightest in years, with some saying it could be the ‘comet of the century’.

That excitement has dialled down somewhat, but it could still be visible to the naked eye in the Northern hemisphere from October.

It was spotted independently by two observatories, the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China, and Nasa’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), after it came back our way for the first time in roughly 80,000 years.

 

Until now, it is thought to have been hanging out in the Oort Cloud, a giant shell or bubble of bits of icy debris surrounding the edge of our solar system.

There will be two main periods it will be visible to us in the UK, having already been seen in the southern hemisphere.

The first window is between the 27 September and 2 October, when it will be visible east just before sunrise.

 

There will be another chance between October 12 and 30, which will be the best chance if you look to the west just after sunset, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.

 

 

The society’s Dr Robert Massey said in a video explainer: ‘We’re all really excited about the prospect of the Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and how it might just be a nice bright object in the night sky.

‘I would think that you’re going to need a pair of binoculars to pick it out, or a telescope if you have the right kind of telescope with a wide field and you know exactly where to look.

‘But who knows, it might be visible to the naked eye as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.’

Comet A3 pictured about 99.4 million miles away from Earth by astronaut Matthew Dominick on a camera aboard the International Space Station (Picture: Nasa/Matthew Dominick)

The ‘tail’ on a comet is made from melting ice releasing dust particles (Picture: Max Inwood)

The comet photographed before dawn from Temisas, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, yesterday (Picture: Reuters)

He said he personally doubted it would be as easy to see as Neowise comet was in 2020 or Hale-Bopp in the late 1990s.

 

 

But he said it was likely people would be able to get good photos of it using a long exposure, and you might even be able to just point and shoot with a mobile phone camera resting on something.

Comets are similar to asteroids in that they are solid pieces of space rock which orbit the sun but are much, much smaller than a planet.

But unlike asteroids which are made of rock and metal, comets are made of ice, rock, and gas.

It is this quality which gives them their distinctive ‘tail’, as when they are close enough to the sun for us to see them, the warmth melts some of the ice they contain which changes into gas, releasing dust particles which become visible trailing behind it.