Throughout the first half of October, an extremely bright comet known as Tochinzan-ATLAS will be visible to the naked eye in parts of the late night and early morning sky. Closest to Earth for over 80,000 years.
But it turns out the “once in a lifetime” comet isn’t the only thing visiting the town. Astronomers have just discovered a second comet. C/2024 S1 (Atlas)will be closest to Earth this month and may be visible without a telescope.
For the past few weeks, skywatchers have been obsessed with Tsuganeyama-ATLAS. First discovered in early 2023. The comet used to be It is predicted that it will break up as it approaches Earth. However, it remains intact and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday (October 12). can discovered with the naked eye and was captured in several places great photos But it will probably start disappearing in the next few weeks.
But on September 27, C/2024 S1 was discovered for the first time by astronomers from Hawaii’s Asteroid Terrestrial Collision Final Alert System (ATLAS) project, which played a role in the discovery of Tsuchinzan-ATLAS. The newly discovered comet was initially named “A11bP7I,” but after its existence was confirmed through subsequent observations, it was given a new official name. virtual telescope project.
Related: The dazzling Comet Gassan Atlas appears in the night sky: how to see it
Not much is known about C/2024 S1’s size, shape, or orbit around the Sun. But it probably came from the Oort cloud, a large reservoir of comets and other icy objects. near the edge of the solar system — and perhaps never in centuries has it been so close to the sun.
The newly discovered comet will make its closest approach to Earth on October 24th, when it will come within 81.8 million miles (131.6 million kilometers) of Earth. Four days later, on October 28, it will reach its closest point to the Sun, or perihelion, and will skim past our home star at a distance of about 765,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers).
Astronomers call C/2024 S1 the “sungraser comet” because it passes so close to our home star. If the comet survives its close encounter with the Sun, it will fly out of the solar system. However, the chances of a comet surviving in this super-hot slingshot are uncertain.
On April 8, astronomers discovered another sun-gazing comet on its final approach to the sun. on the same day as a total solar eclipsecasting a shadow over much of North America. However, it collapsed after just a few hours.
The first photos of C/2024 S1 suggest it has a green glow, an unusual color for a comet. Spaceweather.com reported.. This rare color Similar to “Devil’s Comet” (12P/Pons Brooks) passed close to our planet in Marchderived from dicarbon molecules (two carbon molecules joined together) in the comet’s coma and tail.
How to read C/2024 S1
At its peak brightness from October 24 to October 28, the comet will be brighter than Venus and most other objects in the night sky. Forbes reported. However, it is actually visible only just before sunrise in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to Forbes, C/2024 S1 may still be visible from the Northern Hemisphere from October 29th to October 31st, but it will be significantly fainter during this time. But that’s only if you survive the slingshot around the sun.
If the comet lasts long enough to be visible, you can track its movement using the following command: theskylive.com. You can also increase your chances of seeing C/2024 S1 with the right pair. Binoculars for stargazing or small telescope To improve visibility.
