Over the weekend, a rare comet named C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was spotted in different states across the United States. This comet is visible once every 80,000 years and was described as a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. The comet was primarily visible to those in the Southern Hemisphere and the Tropics until about October 8, when viewers in the Northern Hemisphere would have more opportunities to see it. NASA stated that the comet was expected to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on October 12. While the comet could be seen with the naked eye, viewers were advised to use binoculars as it got higher in the night sky and farther away from the sun, becoming less bright.
The comet, which made its closest pass by the Sun in late September, was discovered last year by the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and the ATLAS telescope in South Africa, hence its name. Some sightings of the comet have been reported in California, Virginia, and New Hampshire. Although the comet’s visibility would decrease as the month progressed, it was expected to still be visible throughout the rest of October. This sighting marks a rare celestial event that astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers were encouraged to take advantage of.
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