According to Canadian astronomer and comet discoverer David H. Levy, Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), discovered in 2023, is the comet of the century One of the characteristics that differentiates this one from many others is the cometary tail that will leave its path, more prominent than usual.
This phenomenon is due to the fact that, after passing through the Sun, the coma of dust and ice of this comet will heat up noticeably, causing the ice particles evaporate and escape quickly into space, carrying with it a large amount of dust that when spread will form the shape of the tail.
Another feature that makes this comet special is its shine, something unpredictable, which will vary depending on your activity during the coming months. Despite this, most researchers believe that it is possible that the comet of the century is visible to the naked eye. In fact, with some luck, it could shine exceptionally, even surpassing the C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) of summer 2020, which draws even more the attention of experts.
Likewise, this comet can also be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, something unusual, since The last time an exceptionally bright comet could be visible from these latitudes was in 1997, with the arrival of comet Hale-Bopp. One of the reasons behind its brightness is the size of its core, which is larger than the rest of the average, with a diameter of between 6 and 15 kilometers according to some estimates.
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Discovery of C/2023 A3
Its discovery took place in South Africa on February 22, 2023, when the ATLAS telescope detected a new object that would later be shown to be a comet. It was initially named A10SVYR.
It was also captured by the Purple Mountain Observatory telescope on January 9, 2023. Although it was added to the list of objects awaiting confirmation, It became classified for a time as lost on January 30, 2023. However, shortly after, observations were made again in the archives of the Minor Planet Center, returning to the spotlight.
The application with which you can locate this comet
In order to check the location of the C/2003 A3 you only need to download the application Sky Tonight. You just need to download it, open the app and press the magnifying glass icon; then write in the search engine A10SVYR and press the white icon.
When these steps are carried out, the application will show the current location of the comet in the sky, simply lift the phone and point it towards the sky and follow the white arrow to see its location.
Can you see it now?
Yes, it can currently be seen, although its light is still quite dim, with a magnitude of approximately 10. The best time slot to view it is late afternoon in the northern and southern latitudes. A way to see this comet more clearly is through telescopes, even small ones. It is also possible to be captured with a DSLR camera.
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Not to be Until September, when it passes closer to the sun, when it can be observed with greater visibility. According to the forecast, the months of June, July and August will be the periods where it will be most visible in the southern hemisphere, while from September it will begin to gain greater prominence in the northern hemisphere, finally being not visible in the southern hemisphere during the month. month of December. SpecificallyIn the northern hemisphere the best dates for observations will be during the month of October and from September 27 to October 2.
Where do their name come from?
The letter C explains that it is a non-periodic comet. This type of comet comes from the Oort cloud and can pass through the Solar System once or, on the contrary, take 200 to thousands of years to orbit the Sun.
On the other hand, 2023A3 indicates that it was discovered in 2023, specifically in the first half of January (comet nomenclature that corresponds to the letter A). It is the third object of this type discovered in that period.
Finally, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS refers to the telescopes at the Purple Mountain Observatory and the Asteroid Impact Warning System (ATLAS).
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