Astronomers said that the world is facing an astronomical phenomenon that occurs once every 80,000 years, and it is supposed to occur during the next few days, and it will be an opportunity for the current generation of people to witness this rare event.
According to a report published by the British newspaper Metro, during the month of October 2024, British residents will be able to see a comet appearing over planet Earth once every 80,000 years.
Scientists added that the last appearance of this comet was during the Neanderthal era, thousands of years ago.
Comet A3 was discovered in January last year and was expected to be one of the brightest comets in years, with some saying it might be the “comet of the century.”
During the month of October, it will be possible to see the comet with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere.
The comet was monitored independently by two observatories, the first is the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China, and the second is NASA’s Asteroid Impact on Earth Last Alert System (ATLAS).
Until now, it was thought that this comet was suspended in the Oort cloud, a giant shell or bubble of icy debris surrounding the edge of our solar system.
Scientists confirmed that the comet will be visible to the naked eye during two periods, the first is between September 27 and October 2, when it will be visible in the east just before sunrise, and there will also be another opportunity between October 12 and 30, which will be the best opportunity when looking to the west immediately after sunset. .
“We’re all really excited about the prospect of Comet A3 and how it might just be a nice bright object in the night sky,” Dr. Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said in an explainer video.
“I think you’ll need a pair of binoculars to spot it, or a telescope, if you have the right kind of telescope with a wide field and know exactly where to look,” he added. But who knows, it might be visible to the naked eye as well. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
He explained that he personally doubts that it will be as easy to see as Comet NEOWISE in 2020 or Hale-Bopp in the late 1990s, but he said that it is likely that people will be able to get good pictures of it using long exposures, and you may even be able to direct Camera and capture using a mobile phone resting on an object.
Comets are similar to asteroids in that they are solid pieces of space rock that revolve around the sun, but they are much smaller than an asteroid.
But unlike asteroids, which are made of rocks and metals, comets are made of ice, rocks, and gas. This is what gives it its distinctive “tail.” When it is close enough to the sun that we can see it, the warmth melts some of the ice it contains, which turns into gas, releasing dust particles that become visible behind it.
