When And Where To See The Bright Comet Tonight

What time will Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS be visible tonight? For the first time since 202o’s Comet NEOWISE, there’s an easily visible comet in the sky. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also called C/2023 A3 and Comet A3, has exited the sun’s glare and is currently rising into the night sky immediately after sunset.

Tonight, Saturday, Oct. 12, is the ideal time to look for it from the northern hemisphere. It reached its perihelion — the closest it gets to the sun — on Sept. 27 and is today at its closest to Earth, passing about 44 million miles (71 million kilometers) distant.

Not that it will be a particularly easy sight, at least for now. For now, it’s very close to the horizon, but with a good view of the western horizon and patience, it can be seen right after sunset. Over the next few nights, it will be at its brightest but also travel slightly farther into the night sky, meaning it will be set against a darker sky and remain in the sky for longer.

Here’s exactly when and where you need to look to see the comet with your naked eyes on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Where To See Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Saturday, Oct.1 2:

Position: west, 16.4 degrees from the sun in Virgo

Time: 45 minutes after sunset where you are

Expected magnitude: +4.5

Comet’s distance from the sun: 52 million miles (84 million kilometers)

Comet’s distance from Earth: 44 million miles (71 million kilometers)

This evening, the comet will be visible close to the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset. The waxing gibbous moon will be bright, 73%-lit, but that won’t make any difference. The challenge tonight will be to find the comet in the bright twilight close to the horizon. If you have a completely clear horizon, find the bright planet Venus and the bright star Arcturus; the comet will be just below a point roughly halfway between them.

This weekend is arguably one of the best times to see it. Compared to Friday, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be a little higher and easier to find, and it will remain in view until a little later in twilight, according to Sky & Telescope. However, the observing window will be short.

Although you should be able to see the comet with your naked eyes, a pair of binoculars will give you a great view.

The Best Time To See Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible for around 10 nights. Monday, Oct. 14, and Tuesday, Oct. 15, are likely the technical best evenings to see the comet, but it’s wise to start looking each night until then because cloud cover will ruin your chances.

“The comet will appear higher in the sky and become easier to spot through the weekend,” states Sky & Telescope, in a press release. “By early next week, it will be at its best for viewing.”

What Is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

It’s a long-period comet from the Oort Cloud, which is a sphere around our solar system that’s home to millions of comets. It loops around the sun only once every 80,000 years.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered in January 2023 by astronomers at China’s Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) Observatory and South Africa’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.