The “comet of the century”, named Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, will be visible in the sky of the northern hemisphere from Friday for several days, the perfect opportunity to promote the “Day of Night” operation, for observing the sky .
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Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been nicknamed “the comet of the century” by many scientists and in several articles. However, for some astronomers, like Éric Lagadec, who works at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, this nickname may be an exaggeration. “We are only in 2024, to talk about the comet of the century, we would have to wait until 2100”he said cautiously. It is true that another comet, just as impressive, could appear in the coming years.
On the other hand, he recognizes that Tsuchinshan-ATLAS promises to be very bright and therefore visible to the naked eye from the northern hemisphere, on the evening of October 11, 2024 and for several days. To see it best, it will be at sunset and you will have to look towards the horizon, towards the sun. If the weather is obviously clear, a bright spot will be clearly visible and it may be possible to see what is called its hairline, the typical tail of a comet that forms when it approaches the sun.
A comet is a mixture of rocks, ice and dust, which comes from the far reaches of the universe. In this case, this “comet of the century” comes from the Oort cloud, a well-known region and real comet reservoir, located at the borders of the solar system.
Among these billions of comets, some are attracted by the Sun. This is the case of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which was detected for the first time in January 2023. It was then seen and photographed, a few days before October 11, before it passed behind the sun.
It remains to be seen whether it resisted this passage, since when it approaches, it degasses and forms the famous comet tail. Its size as well as its luminosity will therefore depend on this trajectory. Astronomer Éric Lagadec compares this comet to the behavior of cats, which is sometimes difficult to predict.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comes at the right time for the operation “Day of Night”which takes place Saturday October 12. More than 500 events and public lighting switching off are planned throughout the country to promote sky observation and the fight against light pollution.