Coming Comet Will Shine Brighter Than Lights in Overhead, Forecasters Say

 


McNaughts Comet photographed in 2007 from South Australia. (John White Photos/Moment/Getty Images)

You have plenty of time to prepare your blanket and binoculars because the comet won't make its closest approach to the Sun until September 28, 2024, also known as perihelion. A few weeks later, on October 13, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth.

At the comet's perihelion, astronomers expect a brightness of magnitude 0.7, though their predictions are incredibly tentative. Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation of Orion, is around 0.42 on the magnitude scale, while Antares, the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpio, is slightly fainter at just over 1. Keep in mind that numbers lower on the scale indicate brighter objects.

The comet's magnitude could increase to an even more brilliant -0.2 at its nearest approach to Earth, making it one of the brightest celestial objects. We might even achieve a -5 magnitude if we take into account the effects of forward scattering, which occurs when the comet's dust and ice reflect light from the Sun.

That is, unless its collision with a star rips it to pieces before it arcs back out on its journey into the outer Solar System.

Keeping in mind that we're discussing a moving object with (possibly) a tail rather than a singular source of illumination, comet brightness is more diffuse than star brightness.

The days leading up to or following October 13 are the ideal times to watch C/2023 A3. It will be visible in the dawn sky near the constellations Hydra and Crater, but be warned: it may be difficult to get a clear glimpse in the sun's glare.

On January 9, 2023, observers at the Chinese Purple Mountain Observatory made the first observation of C/2023 A3. Prior to being rediscovered on February 22, 2023, by the crew at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa, it was initially believed to have been lost.
It consequently receives the names of both institutes in its own appellation ("tsuchinshan" is Mandarin for "purple mountain"). The finding year is 2023, the C is used for comets on open paths (likely to elude the orbit of the Sun), and A3 indicates that this was the third finding in the first semi of January (B is the second semi of January, C the first semi of February, and so on).

Along with being exceptionally bright, C/2023 A3 is also moving at a remarkable rate of speed—180,610 miles per hour, or 290,664 kilometres per hour—while completing a prolonged orbit of the Sun, which is expected to take 80,660 years. It is currently positioned halfway between Saturn and Jupiter's rotations.

Although there is a lot of (educated) guesswork involved here because these celestial objects can be unpredictable in the way their paths develop and because scientists know little about the characteristics of this comet, stargazers should start to get decent sightings of the comet in June 2024.

Although there is a good possibility that C/2023 A3 will be visible in the sky next year, there isn't a lot of comparable comet data to draw comparisons from. Astronomers therefore are unable to predict with any degree of confidence whether the frail old ball of rock and ice will survive long enough to fulfil its scheduled encounter with the Sun.

Despite the uncertainty, it's a fascinating possibility for astronomers, and in the months to come, we're likely to learn a lot more about C/2023 A3.

Reference: ScienceAlert

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