By Marc Menendez-Roche • Updated: 27 Sep 2024 • 17:40 • 1 minute read
Credit: Shutterstock, Nazarii_Neshcherenskyi Attention, here we go; it's time for an update on what some experts are calling the 'Comet of the Century.'
Attention, here we go; it’s time for an update on what some experts are calling the ‘Comet of the Century.’
It’s a cosmic event that’s rarer than finding a decent parking spot in central Malaga.
A once-in-a-lifetime ‘Comet of the Century’ could light up Spain’s skies.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is soaring past Earth. The best thing about it all is that scientists still believe it will be visible to the naked eye.
Experts are calling it one of the brightest comets in recent history and the ‘comet of the century,’ comparable to Halley’s Comet of 1986 or the more recent Neowise, which wowed stargazers in 2020.
However, we didn’t know about Tsuchinshan-ATLAS until last year. As previosuly reported by Euro Weekly News, two independent teams of astronomers discovered the icy Tsuchinshan-ATLAS on January 9 2023, to be exact.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will make its closest approach to the Sun on September 27, just 36 million miles away. Two weeks later, on October 12, it will come within 44 million miles of Earth, with the best views expected around mid-October. But what will we see? Experts aren’t quite sure. They believe we will be able to see it without equipment, but comets, are notoriously unpredictable, and this one could be as bright as Venus or barely visible without binoculars.
The best days to catch this event from Spain are October 12 and 13, when the comet will make its closest approach to Earth, coming even closer than Mercury.
For those staring up at the night sky in Spain, the best times will be between 5:00 am and 7:00 am on October 12 and 13, when the comet will be low on the horizon. It may be a good idea to take binoculars just in case.
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Marc is a writer, teacher, and language enthusiast with a passion for making complex topics simple and accessible. With a background in business and legal communication and an interest in educational neuroscience, Marc has spent over a decade teaching and writing. Now, as part of the team at Euro Weekly News, Marc enjoys diving into entertaining topics and stories that matter to the community. When he's not writing, Marc loves practising martial arts, playing football, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or spending quality time with friends and family, but above all, Marc enjoys spending time with his son, Macson.
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