With a tail 29 million kilometers long... a comet appears in the skies of the Arab world 80 thousand years after its last visit

2024-10-12 2024-10-12T13:26:09Z

Arab Weather - A rare comet is approaching Earth in an exceptional phenomenon that occurs once every 80,000 years, as its last appearance dates back to the era in which primitive Neanderthals lived 800 centuries ago. This comet is expected to appear in the Earth's sky starting from today, Saturday, until October 30, as one of the brightest comets that will light up the skies of the Arab world and the Northern Hemisphere.

Discovery of the comet of the century

The comet was discovered by China's Tsushinshan Observatory in collaboration with NASA's Asteroid Land Impact System (ATLAS) in South Africa in January last year. Known to astronomers as C/2023 A3, it is also called the "Comet of the Century."

This comet consists of a huge ball of rock, ice and dust, and is expected to approach Earth today, reaching a distance of 70 million kilometers. However, its brightness will gradually fade until it disappears into the depths of the universe, to return after 80 thousand years.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is Now the Brightest Comet in 13 Years!

This incredible comet has overtaken NEOWISE from 2020 in brightness, with current estimates of 0.4 magnitude! The tail is stretching a whopping 15 degrees across the sky—that's equal to the width of 30… pic.twitter.com/pyLNTYm8zh

— Star Walk (@StarWalk) October 5, 2024

Seeing a comet in the sky

The comet can be seen with the naked eye in the skies of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, provided that the eastern horizon is completely exposed and the sky is clear, on September 29. The report indicated that comets may be volatile and difficult to predict accurately, so it is preferable to use binoculars or a small telescope to enhance the vision.

comet's dust tail

Engineer Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, confirmed that the comet’s dust tail is supposed to appear as a result of the dust and ice flying around as it approaches the sun. Although the comet’s brightness remains a mystery, some scientists expect it to be among the 20 brightest stars in the night sky.

Comet Spotting Tips

Engineer Abu Zahra pointed out the importance of using relatively low-magnification equipment when observing a comet like this. Comets often have a large atmosphere and a long tail that can extend across a large part of the sky, so using a telescope or binoculars with low magnification provides a wider field of view through which the entire comet can be viewed, including its faint outer regions and tail.