Just five days after the firmament was adorned with a supermoonthe Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) confirmed that a comet that will approach Earth in the coming weeks is already visible from Puerto Rico.
This was confirmed by SAC astrophotographers, who with their camera lenses captured, at dawn this Sunday, images of C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), a comet that will have its closest approach to the Sun next Friday, September 27.
“We confirm that it is already visible from Puerto Rico between 5:15 and 5:25 am, very low on the eastern horizon. That is, where the Sun would appear during sunrise.”reported in written statements Eddie Irizarry, scientific communicator of the educational entity.
“It is a small comet with a nucleus of 1.2 to 2 kilometers, so it is best seen with optical aid, since if we try to see it during this week, it looks like a faint, cloudy star that shows a slight hint of a trail or tail tilted about 45 degrees upward and to the right. But in reality the tail is much better seen with binoculars or by taking photos of several seconds,” he explained.
According to the SAC, comet “A3” will remain close to the eastern horizon until the end of September. The space object will then not be visible for about two weeks as it continues its path close to the Sun.
For his part, the vice president of the organization, Nelson Ortega, indicated that, If the comet does not disintegrate during that period, it will reappear over the western horizon and at a safe distance from Earth on October 12-14 just as it is getting dark.
“If the gradual increase in brightness that is anticipated continues, this comet has the potential to perhaps be seen well with the naked eye, but we insist that it will be through binoculars or a small telescope that it will be able to be appreciated in all its splendor.”Ortega stressed.
The SAC, in turn, noted that while some forecasts of how bright it will look are optimistic, people should not have high expectations.
“If it turns out to be reasonably bright by mid-October during sunset, even better. But these objects could disappoint many if we are carried away by some sensationalist notes in which they have even called this ‘the comet of the century’. If the current trend continues, we anticipate that it could become at least the brightest comet of the year.”the educational entity distinguished.
“It is one thing to be barely able to detect it without optical aid, and quite another to be able to see it clearly with the naked eye, which remains to be seen due to how erratic comets are,” the organization explained.
According to the SAC, the telescope that initially discovered “A3” is part of the “Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System” (ATLAS) project. However, the space object was also detected by the Purple Mountain Observatory (Tsuchinshan) in China. For that reason, it was named C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).