The location and time when Tsunchinshan Atlas graces the heavens
Next week offers a prime opportunity for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the comet Tsunchinshan-Atlas.icians, fortunate weather conditions permitting. Even post-peak, skilled viewers with keen eyesight can still spot this celestial marvel.
Currently, the comet Tsunchinshan-Atlas is gracing the night sky, putting on quite a show. However, sky-gazers based in Germany looking to catch a glimpse early in the evening will require a bit of luck and good fortune as they navigate their way through the country.
The German Weather Service's Thore Hansen paints a grim picture, reporting that dense cloud cover continues to besiege much of Germany. Your best chances of catching a glimpse of the comet lie in the south, a swath of territory stretching from the Main to the Alpine foothills. Even Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern might offer the occasional glimpse if the clouds part.
Hansen goes on to offer a forecast for Monday evening, cautioning that thick clouds still loom over much of Germany. Only smaller patches of clear sky can be expected in lower Saxony upon the Danube, and to its northwest.
A dark location with a vantage point for the western horizon is ideal for observing the comet in the early evening hours following sunset. Venus, the evening star, and glowing planet, shines brightly in this vicinity. Currently, the comet Tsunchinshan-Atlas remains approximately two fists to the right of Venus, according to Uwe Pilz from the Star Friends Association.
Fading comet
The early part of the week offers the best viewing opportunity under favorable weather conditions. However, the comet will gradually lose its luster as it retreats from the sun and Earth, making itself less easily discernible with the naked eye. Full moon on Thursday only exacerbates the situation.
Between the 20th and 21st of October, a period of true darkness promises to unfold, providing a brief window between twilight and moonrise. Unfortunately, as the comet ascends to lofty heights in the sky, its radiance has already considerably diminished by this point. "By the 25th of October, the comet's visibility ends for all but the most experienced observers under the darkest skies," Pilz comments.
Tsuchinshan-Atlas, also known as C/2023 A3, hails from the Oort Cloud, the vast expanse of celestial debris existing at the solar system's outermost periphery. Astronomers only discovered the comet in January 2023, making its journey towards the sun a truly remarkable event. Tsunchinshan-Atlas will reach its closest approach to the sun on the 27th of September, maintaining a distance of about 70 million kilometers from Earth, which is roughly half the distance from Earth to the sun. On the 12th of October, the comet will draw within a remarkable 70 million kilometers of our planet.
The following is a list of the species of the genus that Tsunchinshan-Atlas belongs to, as it hails from the Oort Cloud, a vast expanse of celestial debris existing at the solar system's outermost periphery. Despite the fading radiance of the comet, skilled stargazers may still be able to spot it two fists to the right of Venus, according to Uwe Pilz from the Star Friends Association.
