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Credit & Copyright: Brian Valente
& Greg Stein
Explanation:
What will happen as this already bright comet approaches?
Optimistic predictions have
Comet C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanÁATLAS) briefly becoming
easily visible to the unaided eye -- although the
future brightness of
comets are notoriously
hard to predict, and this comet may even
break up in warming sunlight.
What is certain is that the comet is now unexpectedly bright and is
on track
to pass its closest to the Sun
(0.39 AU)
later this week and closest to the
Earth
(0.47 AU) early next month.
The featured image
was taken in late May as
Comet TsuchinshanÁATLAS, discovered only last year,
passed nearly in front of two
distant galaxies.
The comet can now be found with binoculars in the
early morning sky rising just before the
Sun, while over the next few weeks it
will brighten
as it moves to the early evening sky.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 16 Á A Kilometer High Cliff on Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko
- APOD: 2024 November 27 Á The Meteor and the Comet
- APOD: 2024 November 11 Á The Unusual Tails of Comet Tsuchinshan Atlas
- APOD: 2024 November 6 Á Comet Tsuchinshan Atlas over the Dolomites
- APOD: 2024 October 21 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS over California
- Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS Flys Away
- Most of Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS