If you are a fan of sky watching, make sure you keep your eyes on the sky tonight.
A unique comet will become visible for the first time in 160,000 years – and you don’t want to miss it.
The comet, named C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), was discovered by the ATLAS research system and is slowly approaching the inner solar system.
According to current calculations, it will come closest to the Sun today, at a distance of about 13.3 million kilometers.
While that may sound far away, it is actually relatively close; Astronomers call the comet a ‘solar skirt’.
Dr. Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London, said: ‘The comet is expected to make its closest approach to the Sun (known as perihelion) around January 13, 2025.
‘But as with all comets, their visibility and brightness can be unpredictable.
‘Observers may be able to observe the comet in the days around perihelion, depending on local conditions and the comet’s behavior.’
If you are a fan of sky watching, make sure you keep your eyes on the sky tonight. A unique comet will become visible for the first time in 160,000 years – and you don’t want to miss it
This stunning image was taken early yesterday morning of the comet near Tornaľa, Slovakia
Comets are frozen remnants of the formation of the solar system and are composed of dust, rock and ice.
They are several kilometers to tens of kilometers wide, but as they orbit closer to the sun, they become warmer and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.
This material forms a ‘tail’ that stretches for millions of kilometers, making them a striking feature in the night sky.
NASA estimates that there are billions of comets orbiting the sun in the Kuiper Belt – a region of the solar system where Pluto is located – and in the more distant Oort Cloud.
According to Dr. Balaji, the brightness of comet C/2024 G3 will be affected by its proximity to the Sun during its passage.
‘[This] causes ice and frozen gases to sublimate, causing a coma and possibly a tail,” she explained.
‘Although some predictions suggest it could become quite bright, predictions about the brightness of comets are notoriously uncertain.
‘Many comets end up being fainter than initially expected.’
According to Dr. Balaji, the brightness of comet C/2024 G3 will be affected by its proximity to the Sun during its passage. Pictured: Comet C2023 A3
The comet will be most visible to people in the Southern Hemisphere, who can look toward the eastern horizon before sunrise, or toward the western horizon after sunset.
However, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere (including Britain), viewing conditions may be a little more difficult due to the comet’s position relative to the Sun.
The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams predicts that the comet will make its closest approach to the sun today at 10:17 GMT, before racing past Earth a few hours later.
However, according to New scientistthe comet will be visible until January 14.
In fact, the best viewing time for places like the US and Europe will be about 30 minutes after sunset tomorrow.
If you miss the viewing, there’s bad news.
Calculations suggest this is a long-period comet, meaning you’ll have to wait thousands of years for it to return to the solar system!