BENGALURU: Skywatchers are in for a rare celestial spectacle as the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is expected to be visible in the early morning skies until October 20. This comet, which has travelled for thousands of years from the distant reaches of the solar system, could become one of the brightest objects in the sky.
What makes this comet special is not only its potential brightness, but also the fact that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event -- C/2023 A3 won’t return for tens of thousands of years, making it a unique opportunity for stargazers.
Dr BS Shylaja, scientist and former director of the Jawaharlal Planetarium, said the comet was discovered by two observatories earlier this year -- the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) project. Hence it bears the name C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), with “C” indicating that it is a non-periodic comet and “2023 A3” reflecting its identification in early January 2023. Tsuchinshan and ATLAS are credited for spotting it independently, and its name honours both observatories.
“As Comet C/2023 A3 nears the Sun, it will form a glowing atmosphere, known as a coma, and a long tail made of dust and gas that stretches for millions of kilometres,” Dr Shylaja said, adding that this tail will create a stunning sight as it reflects the sunlight.
However, there is a possibility that the comet could break apart due to the Sun’s intense heat and gravitational forces, but if it holds together, it promises to be one of the most brilliant comets seen in recent years, she added.
Dr BR Guruprasad, Director of the Planetarium, said, “C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) comet is truly unique, taking about 80,000 years to complete one orbit around the Sun, so it is something none of us will see again in our lifetime. However, comets are notoriously unpredictable — some, expected to be brilliant, end up fading out. We’re still waiting to see how bright this one will get.”
In the first week of November, another comet is expected to be visible in the morning sky. With advancements in technology and modelling, scientists mentioned that they hope to improve the ability to predict how these comets will behave in the future. However, they highlighted that a degree of uncertainty will always remain as each comet can exhibit unique and unpredictable characteristics.