When Comet A3, also called Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, passed within around 44 million miles of Earth on Saturday, scientists who were expecting it to be brilliant and visible were not let down.
Photographs taken in Asia, the US, and the UK revealed the comet inside the inner solar system.
The comet would have last been seen from Earth when Neanderthals were roaming the earth, as the event happens around every 80,000 years.
According to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the comet is thought to have originated from the Oort Cloud, a massive spherical shell that encircles our solar system and is home to billions of objects, including comets.
According to the RAS, the comet has been referred to as the “comet of the century” by some.
It was called for the two observatories that made the independent discovery of it in January 2023: the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) in South Africa and the Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) Observatory in China.
When the comet A3 passed across the southern hemisphere from September 27 to October 2, it was previously visible from Earth.
It should be visible until October 30th, so don’t worry if you missed it last night.
