12:15 PM (Monday)| *Another astronomical treat...a comet after sunset in the western sky during the next week to ten days with best views likely next few evenings...an odd feature*
Paul Dorian
Look roughly in between two of the brightest objects in the western sky (Venus, Arcturus) each of the next few nights about an hour or so after sunset. (Courtesy Sky and Telescope)
Overview
Last week, it was the northern lights and now - for another astronomical treat - a comet should be visible to the naked eye during the next week to ten days or so in the western sky after sunset. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has now exited the sun’s glare having come closest to the sun in late September. It made its closest approach to Earth this past Saturday, October 11th, passing about 44 million miles away. It is now rising a little bit higher each night in the western sky and remaining visible for a little bit longer period; however, it is also going to lose some its brightness with each passing day.
Details
While Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible to the naked eye for another ten days or so, the best time to view may very well turn out to be each of the next few evenings (weather permitting of course). While it is rising a bit higher in the sky each evening making for easier and slightly longer viewing before it drops to below the horizon, it is also going to become a little less bright with each passing night. It is best to grab a view as soon as you can as comets are unpredictable and cloudless skies are no guarantee down the road.
This photo from Michael Jaeger of Martinsberg, Austria shows the “spike” coming out of the comet’s head (insert) in the opposite direction than the more “conventional-looking” tail (courtesy spaceweather.com)
The place to look is low in the western sky roughly in between Venus appearing to the comet’s lower, left and Arcturus which will be seen to the comet’s upper, right. These two celestial objects should be two of the brightest in the western sky. The comet will drop down to a position below the horizon in relatively short order so viewing time will limited. In the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor, it is best to start looking to the western sky somewhere in the 7-8 pm hour as sunset time in NYC comes at 6:16 pm, around 6:22pm in Philly, and around 6:30 pm in DC (binoculars are recommended).
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - also known as C/2023 A3 – is a long-period comet from the Oort Clouds which is a sphere of comets around our solar system that returns to the inner solar system only once every 80,000 years. It was discovered in January 2023 by astronomers at China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory and then a month later using the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was visible primarily to those in the southern hemisphere and the tropics until about October 8th.
An odd feature of the comet has been referred to as an “anti-tail” that pointed out of the comet’s head in the opposite direction as the wider, more conventional-looking tail seen on the other side. Comet tails are supposed to blow away from the sun yet “anti-tails” point in the opposite direction. The “anti-tail” appeared on Sunday, October 14th when the Earth passed through the comet’s orbital plane and it may still be visible to the naked eye. At the moment of the crossing, the sharp edge of the comet’s fan-shaped dust tail appeared to point toward the sun.
One final note, NASA’s Europa “Clipper” mission is scheduled to launch today, Monday, October 14th…here is the full story: https://arcfieldweather.com/blog/2024/10/3/715-am-mission-to-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-begins-a-week-from-now-on-october-10thamazing-work-by-galileo-400-years-ago-on-the-largest-planet-in-our-solar-system-and-its-moons
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield
arcfieldweather.com
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