‘Halloween Comet’ may be bright enough to see in daylight for an hour or two tomorrow
A comet that will pass closest to Earth on Halloween is expected to be bright enough to be seen in daylight, with the peak visibility for those in the Northern Hemisphere coming just before dawn on Thursday.
The comet, officially known as C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), was first spotted in February 2023 by a Chinese telescope called the Purple Mountain Observatory in Jiangsu province, and has become affectionately nicknamed “Halloween comet” thanks to its timing.
“While this is expected to be the brightest comet in years, there’s a chance it may fade more quickly than predicted. If you want to get a glimpse, you’ll need to go outside early in the morning before sunrise,” the American Meteor Society (AMS) advised on its website.
Comet C/2023 A3 is classified as a long-period comet and it likely will never pass by Earth again.
For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, the comet will rise in the eastern sky before sunrise. By the time it reaches its highest point above the horizon, it will be faint and more challenging to spot, the AMS explained.
“On Thursday morning, the comet will reach a maximum magnitude of 4, and could be visible in daylight. It’s going to be difficult to spot though – the light from the rising sun will make it very challenging,” explained Dean Regas, an astronomer and educator at the Cincinnati Observatory. “The best way to find it will be with binoculars and a dark sky just before dawn,” he added.
Comet C/2023 A3 is moving in its orbital path around the sun. It won’t get too close to the sun before turning around and returning out to the fringes of our solar system where it’s believed to have originated from the Oort cloud.
It’s believed that comets are icy remnants of the formation of our solar system, containing clues to its past.
Although this comet won’t be visible for much longer after its close approach, experts have already started predicting its return to the inner solar system, though not in our lifetime. It is expected to come around again after nearly 800 years.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity for all those people who are out on the street, for whatever reason, in the early morning. Look up to the skies – and remember – that’s why it’s important to observe,” concluded Regas.
