Comet C/2023 A3, also called Tsuchinshan Atlas, is one of the most interesting and fascinating for astronomers and Cosmos enthusiasts. It is hypothesized that it may be among the brightest celestial bodies ever observed by man and has been defined as the possible “comet of the century”. Discovered very recently, in 2023, the world is waiting to see it in all its splendor in 2024. Will it live up to expectations? To answer we will have to wait for the event, in the meantime from studies this star seems to have very particular characteristics.
What comet is C/2023 A3, known as Tsuchinshan-Atlas
Comet C/2023 A3 was discovered on February 23, 2023 from the South African Atlas telescope and was initially codenamed A10SVYR. At the same time it was observed by the Zijinshan astronomical observatory, and for this reason today it bears the name C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).
It’s a comet long orbital period, estimated to be 26,000 years old, and appears to have a particularly large core. Given the estimate of its potential magnitude/brightness, it is hypothesized that it could become the brightest for several decades.
C72023 A3 should develop a beautiful cometary tail. After passing close to the Sun at a distance similar to Mercury’s orbit, the dust and ice of Tsuchinshan-Atlas will warm significantly. As the ice particles evaporate, they will quickly escape into space, carrying with them a large amount of dust that will extend out in a long, bright tail.
As history shows, comets passing close to the Sun have the most impressive tails, formed shortly after being “roasted” by the heat of the sun. Sun. The problem is that comets are unpredictable so there is no certainty of being able to observe this phenomenon.
Why it is defined as comet of the century
The brightness of a comet is largely determined by the size of its nucleus. For example, the nucleus of Comet Hale-Bopp measures about 60 km in diameter, and that of Halley’s Comet is 15 km, which is considerable for a short-period comet.
C/2023 A3 should have a core between 6 and 15 km in diameter. This gives hope that it will not disintegrate as it gets closer to the Sun. But some scientists have even speculated that it could be between 20 and 40 km. These features could make Tsuchinshan-ATLAS the “comet of the century”. Certainly, as for example with the horned comet, C/2023 A3 has captured the attention of scholars who await its passage with great interest. However, comets are very unpredictable bodies and there is always room for a surprise. For now, all that can be done is to wait for C/2023 A3 to perform in 2024.
When to see the comet of the century from Italy
Since April 2024 the comet has been visible with small telescopes but it is expected to reach its maximum brightness in mid-October 2024, with an apparent magnitude, estimated by the SETI institute, of around -0.1, which would make it even brighter than the star Vega. The September 27, 2024 , the comet should reach its closest approach to the Sun and there could therefore be the possibility of observing it with the naked eye in the evening. After perihelion from the Sun, comet Atlas will begin to move away from our star, reaching about 0.48 AU from Earth, precisely the October 12: this will be the day on which it will be decided whether C/2023 A3 has met expectations or perhaps even exceeded them.
