A once-in-80,000-year sight made its closest approach to Earth this weekend, and a stunning video recorded in California shows Comet C/2023 A3 streaking across the night sky.
The countdown begins for skygazers, as the much anticipated Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas will disappear from our night sky by early November, according to NASA.
Discovered only in 2023, the comet originated from beyond the Solar System and Kuiper Belt, and has never reached our inner Solar System in human history before now, the agency said.
The comet flew closest to Earth around Oct. 12, putting on spectacular displays around the globe. It is now starting to move away from earthling eyes for the last time in our lifetimes, and possibly for good.
Based on orbital calculations, astronomers believe it could be another 80,000 years before the comet is visible again, and that’s only if it survives its voyage around the solar system.
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The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas can be seen in the evening sky over Brandenburg. Tsuchinshan Atlas, also known as C/2023 A3, originates from the Oort Cloud, a collection of objects at the outermost edge of the solar system, and has been moving towards the sun for a very long time. (Patrick Pleul/picture alliance)
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This photograph taken on October 17, 2024, shows Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas in the sky above a palm tree on a beach near Fort-de-France in the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on October 15, 2024. (PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP)
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FIRMAT, SANTA FE, ARGENTINA – 2024/10/19: The C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanATLAS) is seen in the sky near the city of Firmat, Santa Fe, Argentina. (Photo by Patricio Murphy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) ( )
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MADRID, SPAIN – 2024/09/28: Comet C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanATLAS) called also “the comet of the century” is seen crossing the sky over the skyscrapers of Madrid known as the Four Towers Business Area. (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket)
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MONFRAGUE NATIONAL PARK, SPAIN – 2024/09/30: Comet C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanATLAS) known also as “the comet of the century” is seen crossing the sky during sunrise at Monfrague National Park. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket)
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Comet C2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas is seen over the hills near the village of Aguas Blancas, Lavalleja Department, Uruguay, at dawn on September 28, 2024. (Mariana SUAREZ / AFP)
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Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas is seen in the sky shortly after sunset above Fish Creek, 140km southeast of Melbourne, on October 21, 2024. (PAUL CROCK/AFP)
Skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere can still catch a fading glimpse of this exit for the next several days just after sunset.
NASA’s Gary Johnston said the comet will be about 30 degrees above the western horizon on Oct. 23, going an additional two degrees higher per day until the comet disappears from sight.
He noted that the brightness of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas will wane by about a magnitude of 6 by the end of October, making it barely visible to the naked eye in the best viewing conditions. Using binoculars may help.
View of comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from the International Space Station.
(NASA / NASA)
Officially named C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, the comet was identified by observers at the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and an ATLAS, or Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, telescope in South Africa.
The comet was named after both observatories, according to NASA.