Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS can now be observed in the early morning sky. This gigantic mass of ice, which appeared at an angle relative to the inner Solar System, would begin in two days' time between the orbits of Mercury and Venus, i.e. in the future closest to the Sun. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), also known as “A3” for short, and its dust tail are now visible both before and during sunrise. In this September 21 long-exposure photograph taken over Lake George in New South Wales, Australia, the comet's progress is juxtaposed with these images at various times. In the vertical stripes of light on the left, the comet appears to make the sky before the break brighter and more colorful with the rising Sun.

While it is not yet clear how bright Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be during the month of October, as it depends on the amount of gas and dust coming in from the outside, optimistic sky enthusiasts hope that this comet will be dubbed the “Great Comet of 2024”, providing an alternating show of dust and ion tails easily spotted by the eye.

September 25, 2024 Astronomy Photo of the Day (NASA APOD)

Image Source and Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu