The cosmic visitor comes from the outermost reaches of our solar system and will soon be easily observable with the naked eye from Germany: The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas – also called C/2023 A3 – is currently approaching the Earth. After a partial lunar eclipse in September, a new celestial highlight awaits in October.

Carolin Liefke from the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg emphasizes that his observation from Germany is still more for experienced hobby astronomers. From the beginning of the week and into the weekend, you could spot the celestial body in the east just before sunrise, with visibility getting better every day.

First seen in the morning – mid-October in the evening

Because the comet is getting closer: From then on October 5th or 6th However, according to Liefke, it disappears from the morning sky and passes close to the sun for a few days before reappearing in the evening sky. During this phase it passes through the field of view of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The observation is only possible for the satellite because the bright sun is covered by a disk in the center of the image in these images.

From around October 11th, visitors from Germany should be clearly visible to the naked eye – you should have a clear view to the west at dusk, if possible from a dark location. Because the comet has just passed the sun and is therefore evaporating a lot of material, its tail could be particularly pronounced, explains Liefke.

The view is probably best in the period from October 12th to 14th be. On the 13th, the comet’s orbit reaches its closest point to Earth at a distance of around 70 million kilometers – which is almost half the distance from the Earth to the Sun. From November onwards, visitors will probably no longer be visible to the naked eye. However, Liefke emphasizes that it is not possible to predict with complete certainty how good the observability will actually be. Observation tips The Association of Star Friends has also put together.

Tsuchinshan Atlas was discovered at the beginning of 2023 – the name comes from the telescope systems in China and South Africa that first spotted it. The celestial body is one of the non-periodic comets that – if at all – only come close to Earth again after a longer period of time. “Tsuchinshan Atlas will probably not return in the foreseeable future,” says Liefke. So it should remain a unique observation opportunity.

The visitor therefore comes from the Oort Cloud, a spherical collection of objects at the outermost edge of the solar system. The last time the comet Neowise (C/2020 F3) had a brightness comparable to Tsuchinshan Atlas was in the summer of 2020.