In July 2020, Comet NEOWISE appeared. Photo: Davey van Olst
The comet will be visible close to Earth. This comet is called “Tsochinshan-Atlas” and it will approach Earth closer than Venus between October 11 and 15 and will be visible with the naked eye. The comet will likely have a nice long tail. It is a unique opportunity to see this comet.
Comets are one of the most fascinating objects in astronomy. Comets are a type of spherical body made up of a mixture of ice crystals, dust, and gravel. Once this comet approaches the Sun, the ice begins to evaporate. This creates a distinctive tail of evaporating ice particles on the comet.
Comets have been observed since time immemorial, and with today’s modern technologies, science has been able to learn more about these celestial phenomena. The size of the comet’s nucleus does not exceed fifty kilometers, and its origin can be found in the outer regions of our solar system.
How bright is Comet Tsuchenshan-Atlas?
Comet Tsuchenshan-Atlas will be visible next week under clear conditions. The comet will then be far enough from the Sun and probably have a good brightness. Brightness is represented by what is called magnitude, where a lower number means greater brightness. In this article we talk about brightness rather than volume.
From brightness +1.5 (and lower) you can observe an object visually and the expectation is that this comet will end up somewhere between 0 and -2. For comparison: we can always detect Venus well, which has a brightness of around -3.5. The full moon fluctuates around a brightness of -14.
In July 2020 we saw Comet NEOWISE. Photo: Matthias de Vries
When are you watching?
The brightness will likely be at its best from October 11, but for the first few days the comet will be very low on the horizon after sunset. Sunset is just before 7 p.m., and the best viewing time is about 45 minutes after sunset. Then look to the west with an unobstructed view, that is, without nearby buildings. Then the comet becomes visible directly above the horizon. Of course, it is still twilight, and this is somewhat at the expense of contrast. Clouds and smog can also affect business, but it’s best to read about it beforehand Our weather forecast.
Increasingly higher, but less bright
In the following days, the comet will be visible longer and higher in the sky each evening, but at the same time it will also rotate away from us and thus become less bright. The comet is expected to no longer be visible around October 15. However, we are careful about this, because with these types of phenomena, you can never know exactly what will happen. It may also happen that it becomes brighter than currently expected, but this cannot be accurately indicated until a few days in advance.
However, watch the western sky closely after sunset starting on October 11, and you may see the comet with a nice long tail.
