How to observe the comet “friend of other humans” in October

(NLDO) - Returning to Earth after 80,000 years, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) will become increasingly brighter in the first half of October.

Although the comet was only discovered in 2023, calculations show that C/2023 A3 is an old friend, having visited Earth 80,000 years ago, when the world was still inhabited by many other human species.

According to Science Alert, we are about to see again the beautiful performance that our Homo sapiens ancestors and other ancestors of other species enjoyed - with the naked eye, of course.

Expected view of comet C/2023 A3 on October 14, with Venus shining brightly above - Photo: Stellarium

C/2023 A3 has been nicknamed many times, including "comet of the century" or "friend of other mankind" and was visible to the naked eye in late September, but not spectacularly.

Comet C/2023 A3 is a morning object, rising about 1.5 hours before sunrise, Professor Jonti Horner, an astrophysicist from the University of Southern Queensland (Australia), told The Conversation .

So if you want to see it, you need to wake up early and face East.

It will gradually move towards the horizon until it almost disappears around October 6-7, blending into the dawn light.

The comet will be almost directly between the Earth and the Sun on October 9 and 10. At that distance, it will be very bright, but unfortunately it will be surrounded by sunlight so it can only be observed with special techniques.

But don't worry too much if you missed out on seeing this object earlier.

After oscillating between Earth and the Sun, C/2023 A3 will reappear in the sky early each evening.

It will quickly climb into the western sky and will be a bright object, visible to the naked eye for several days from October 12.

The positions of the comet, Earth, and Sun in the solar system would cause the comet's tail to flow out to a very large length.

Much of that tail is too faint to be easily seen with the naked eye, but it is a wonderful sight for photographers with specialized cameras.

The comet will rise and fade quite rapidly during the second half of October and will no longer be visible to the naked eye by the end of October.

After slipping out of human sight, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) will continue to flee the inner solar system, moving into the icy depths of space, possibly returning for another 80,000 years, or perhaps never.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cach-quan-sat-sao-choi-ban-cua-loai-nguoi-khac-trong-thang-10-196241002111012302.htm