After light displays seen across the UK this week another astronomical spectacle is set to shine in the night sky from tonight as a comet that was last viewed by the Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago could be seen tonight, with astrologists calling it the “comet of the century”.
Scientists have said Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which was last visible from Earth when Neanderthals were alive 80,000 years ago, could be spotted with the naked eye from this weekend.
The comet was first discovered in January 2023, and has been called “the comet of the century” because of how bright and visible it could become, according to the Royal Astronomical Society. The comet has the potential to become so bright over the next week that it could become visible durning the daytime also.
People in the southern hemisphere have already had the opportunity to glimpse Comet A3, but now it’s the turn of the northern hemisphere.
Between 12th and 30th October, people may be able to see the comet with the naked eye as its trajectory takes it closer to the Sun.
Its not clear how bright the comet may become, at its closest approach to Earth taking place between Saturday and Sunday.
Grabbing photos of the comment from the space station Nasa astronaut Matthew Dominick said the comet currently looks like a “fuzzy star” when viewing it from the International Space Station.
The best opportunity to view Comet A3 will be to head for higher ground and look west towards the horizon.
Although the current weather may hamper viewing skies are expected to clear overnight as strong winds push the cloud and showers away to the East.
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