A major astronomical event this fall, comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is expected to reach its closest point to Earth in the coming days. Friday looks set to be the best day to observe it with the naked eye… as long as the clouds don’t come to spoil the party.
MeteoSwiss expects the clouds to clear late Friday, a clearing that will provide a good chance of seeing the comet, meteorologist Stefan Scherrer said Thursday.
The best way to observe it is to stand in a dimly lit place. A promontory is also recommended. On the other hand, cities should be avoided.
In addition to Friday, next Tuesday should also be favorable, as well as Sunday if you are in the Lake Geneva region or in Valais.
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Bodies of ice and dust
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or C/2023 A3, will be located in the coming days 70 million kilometers from our planet, a little less than half the distance separating the Earth from the Sun.
The comet was discovered in February 2023 by ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), an automatic observatory located in South Africa that detects small celestial bodies that could cross Earth’s orbit.
It is a body made up of ice and dust. Comets have very eccentric orbits and most of the time remain very far from the Earth and the Sun.
When one of them comes closer, it undergoes the action of the sun and is surrounded by a halo called hair. It is also extended by a tail of dust and ionized gas which gives it a very characteristic shape.
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