“It's totally amazing to see a comet from orbit. Atlas C2024-G3 visits us” wrote NASA astronaut Donald Pettit on social networks. In a few days, a bright comet could be visible in the sky. Named C/2 024 G3 (Atlas), it was spotted last year by the NASA warning system for earth-impacting asteroids.
A comet visible from Earth
On Monday, the comet was at perihelion, the point where it is closest to the Sun, which influences its brightness. Dr Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King's College London, said that “Current orbital calculations indicate that it will pass approximately 8.3 million kilometers from the Sun”which classifies it in the category of comets which “brush against the Sun“.
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According to NASA, although predicting the brightness of a comet remains difficult, it could be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. This passage and visibility of Atlas C2024-G3 is described, reports the BBC, as an exceptional event, which only occurs once every 160,000 years.
Difficult to observe from the northern hemisphere
The comet could appear in the days surrounding perihelion, “depending on local conditions and the behavior of the comet” specifies the researcher. Unfortunately, in France, it will be difficult to see it, because the relativity of the comet in relation to the sun in the northern hemisphere could complicate observations. The comet is more likely to be seen in the southern hemisphere.
The researcher thus offers some advice on how to hope to see it. For people in the southern hemisphere, they should “look towards the eastern horizon before sunrise, and after perihelion, try the western horizon after sunset“.
To have a better chance of observing the comet, Dr Shyam Balji also recommends finding a place away from light pollution and using a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
France
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