C/2023 A3, “the comet of the century”, approaches Earth: already breathtaking photos and this is only the beginning

Un comète se rapproche de la Terre (image d’illustration). Illustration Unsplash – Justin Wolff

In February, comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas was discovered, and made a big impact due to its brightness relative to its distance from our Sun. Now that it is approaching Earth, rare images of the star have been captured.

This Friday, September 27, comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas (discovered in February 2023), will reach its perihelion, the moment when it will be at its closest distance from the Sun. It will be 58 million kilometers from the star, reports Futura Sciences.

Passage in the southern hemisphere

The celestial object was captured in Tivoli in Namibia in southern Africa then in Latin America in the Acatama desert in Chile and in Quixadá in northern Brazil.

The pictures are very clear and yet, the comet will be at its peak of brightness only around October 10th. Astrophotographers now have to prepare for this event that will not happen again for another 80,000 long years, it is part of the category of long-period comets.

Now in our hemisphere

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is now observable in the northern hemisphere. The images were taken in the Mogollon Rim mountain range in Arizona, USA.

Australian astrophotographer Michael Mattiazzo said the “Millennium Falcon”, as the comet is known, “was brightening quickly".

The Paris Observatory is talking about Tsuchinshan-Atlas as potentially being "the comet of the century", reports Actu.fr.