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A comet with astronomers calling it the "comet of the century" that was last seen tens of thousands of years ago is expected to be visible tonight. Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), last seen from Earth 80,000 years ago, can be detected with the naked eye from Earth this weekend, scientists say.

First discovered in January 2023, it has been called the "comet of the century" because of how bright it is, according to the UK-based Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Between October 12 and 30, people may be able to see the comet with binoculars or directly with the naked eye as its trajectory takes it closer to the Sun.

In addition, it is unclear how bright the comet will be when it is at its closest approach to Earth, which will occur between Saturday and Sunday. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick said the comet currently looks like a "fuzzy star" when viewed from the International Space Station (ISS). In a video on the association's website, deputy director Dr Robert Massey said photographing the comet might be possible, especially using a DSLR digital camera.

According to RAS, the comet originated in the Oort Cloud – a giant spherical shell that surrounds our solar system and contains billions of objects including comets. We have yet to confirm other details on the news. So, you might want to keep an eye out for it tonight.

 

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