A comet is brighter than most stars. An amazing phenomenon awaits us?

Every year, astronomers discover dozens of new comets. However, most of them shine so dimly that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. The situation will be different in the case of the object classified under the name discovered last year C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). Scientists say that when the comet approaches the sun, it will be so Brighter in the night sky than most stars.

C/2023 A3 (Tuchinshan-ATLAS) is an object discovered by astronomers from China's Purple Mountain Observatory and the ATLAS system. The comet falls It is currently about a billion years away from Earth It is located somewhere between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. The discovery of such a distant object of this type fills scientists with optimism.

Currently, the comet is about 60,000 years old. Sometimes too faint to be seen with the naked eye. But this is expected to change as it approaches the sun. Then it has a chance to become very clear from a human perspective. This means that a wonderful phenomenon awaits us in the sky. However, this will not happen very quickly.

C/2023 A3 (Tsouchenshan-Atlas) is an object falling towards the center of the solar system and is already… In September, it will be about 59 million kilometers from the sun. For comparison, the average distance of Earth from the star is less than 150 million kilometers.

The next flyby of Earth and the Sun will take place in a few months. That's when the comet has the chance to become a very extraordinary event in our planet's night sky. However, this will depend on certain factors.

Comets As it approaches the sun, it begins to heat up. This causes the ice to sublimate, i.e. the solid turns into a gas. Finally, a coma is created, which is repelled by the solar wind, and thanks to this you can admire the characteristic tail that trails behind the body.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tuchinshan-ATLAS) will be about 70 million kilometers from Earth two weeks after perihelion (closest approach to the Sun). These conditions and the object's large enough core are what will make it so bright in the sky.

If the object lives up to expectations, it will shine in Earth's night sky In the second half of September 2024 It must also be visible In the first half of October.

An object similar to C/2023 A3 (Tuchinshan-ATLAS) has been Comet Kohoutek (C/1973 E1) since 1973. It was also discovered far from the Sun and great expectations were placed on it in terms of observations, but in the end it turned out to be discovered far from the Sun . To be disappointing. Despite the loud statements of astronomers. You'll call it the “comet of the century,” but it wasn't.