Spectacle in the sky

Comet Tsuchinshan Atlas visible to the naked eye

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is already clearly visible over Uruguay and should be visible in Austria from October 12.

(Bild: AFP/Mariana Suarez)

It is already an eye-catcher in the southern hemisphere and is set to become one for us from October 12: according to experts, comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (catalog name: C/2023 A3) has so far "exactly matched the predicted brightness model".

According to the Vienna Astronomy Association (WAA) and comet expert Michael Jäger, the distinctive tail is developing extremely promisingly. Jäger, chairman of the Martinsberg Astronomical Center in Lower Austria, photographed the "striking phenomenon" in Namibia.

"Will be beautiful to see in the evening"
 For WAA CEO Alexander Pikhard, the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which was observed for the first time in early 2023 by the eponymous telescope facilities in China and South Africa, "lives up to its promise".

(Bild: AP)

In addition to images from southern Africa, for example, impressive images from Australia and New Zealand are already circulating. The WAA is therefore "confident that it will also be visible here for a few days in the evening from October 12".

Comet comes from the Oort Cloud
The celestial body is one of the non-periodic comets, which usually only come close to the Earth again after very long periods of time. The lump originates from the Oort Cloud, a spherical collection of objects at the outermost edge of our solar system. According to experts, the last time the comet "Neowise" (C/2020 F3) was as bright as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was in the summer of 2020.

Overall, it is difficult to predict how bright such a celestial body will actually be around its flyby of the sun. It all depends on the matter ejected in the form of gas and dust as a result of heating by the sun. So far, however, the comet has "adhered exactly to the predicted brightness model", says Pikhard.

Visible to the naked eye in the west
The question remains as to where to look from October 12 until the end of the month. Provided the weather is clear, you should look to the west at dusk, according to the WAA: In the first few days, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should even be visible to the naked eye, "although not as clearly as a few days ago in the southern sky. Binoculars are advisable in any case and will help you find the comet at dusk," explained Pikhard.

In Martinsberg in Lower Austria, people are invited to observe the comet together from next Saturday onwards, weather permitting. The WAA is also organizing observation evenings at the Sophienalpe in Vienna-Penzing, weather permitting.