We are not in the middle of summer, and yet, better than a shooting star, a comet is expected in the sky this week!
At least twice as large as Halley’s famous comet (11 km in diameter compared to an estimate between 20 and 40 km), comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas should be visible this Friday.
Observed since 2023, it comes from very far away in our solar system, says 20 minutes. It will be closest to Earth this Saturday, 70 million kilometers away.
Close enough to be able to observe it with the naked eye, if the sky is clear of course, which is not guaranteed with the passage of the Kirk depression over France for several days.
“Comets that can be seen with the naked eye like that, there are one or two per century”enthuses Nicolas André (CNRS-Irap), professor of planetary science at Isae-SUPAERO in Toulouse, interviewed by 20 minutes.
He advises waiting for the sun to set and looking towards the west. If the sky is clear, the comet should be observable Friday evening in the lower part of the horizon, before rising slightly in the following days.
