The Royal Greenwich Observatory refers to the A3 comet as “the most impressive comet of the year” and says that under the correct circumstances, it should be visible to the unaided eye.
Discovered in January 2023, the comet, also known as C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas), makes a visitation to the inner solar system around every 80,000 years.
It originates from the massive shell that encircles our solar system, the Oort Cloud.
“Big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris the size of mountains and sometimes larger,” is how NASA characterizes the Oort Cloud.
The Oort Cloud is assumed to be the source of most long-period comets, including comet A3.
It is clear that the A3 comet was in good condition when it zipped by Earth on its way to the sun because it has already been seen by observers in the southern hemisphere and those near the equator.
