When and where to see the comet on Friday

Is the comet still visible? Yes, but only if you use binoculars and wait a few hours after sunset. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS – also called comet A3 and C/2023 A3 – is no longer an unaided object, visible this week in a dark, moonless night sky.

This makes it possible to see it with the Milky Way, which is visible in the west after sunset if you are in a dark-sky destination. The comet is located in the constellation Ophiuchus, near the three famous bright stars of the famous “Summer Triangle” asterism, where the Milky Way currently flows on the horizon.

If you’re lucky, increased solar activity this week will translate to the Northern Lights at lower latitudes, giving a potentially rare double view of cosmic sights.

Where is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

Now 94 million miles (151 million kilometers) from Earth and shining at magnitude +4.3 in the constellation Ophiuchus, the comet is now getting fainter and smaller with each passing night.

A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will give you a view. Another way to see it is to photograph the comet with a camera or smartphone, with a long exposure image of several seconds showing it more easily.

Note: viewing times and guidelines are for mid-latitude observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Check the exact time sunset where are you and comet set time is on Stellarium Web for times that are correct for your exact location.

How to find Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Friday, November 1

Position: west, 56 degrees from the sun in Ophiuchus

Time: from 60 minutes after sunset where are you until around 22:30 local time

Magnitude: +4.3

Comet’s distance from the sun: 88 million miles (141 million kilometers)

Comet’s distance from Earth: 94 million miles (151 million kilometers)

How to find the comet using Venus

If you look to the southwest about an hour after sunset, you are likely to see the bright planet Venus. This is your guiding light to the comet.

Look above Venus for the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. Look halfway between Venus and Vega and you should find the comet, though probably only if you use a pair of binoculars.

How to find the comet using the summer triangle

Since Venus will set soon after sunset—or you may have horizon clouds or mountains to contend with—you can also use the stars of the Summer Triangle, one of which is Vega. Find the other two that make up the famous asterism – Deneb in Cygnus, above Vega, and Altair in Aquila, to the left.

Now, make a rough triangle between Altair and Vega pointing down at the horizon. The third point is roughly where the comet will be. You’ll need binoculars to see it—as well as a dark, clear sky.

What is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

It is a long-period comet from the Oort Cloud, a sphere around the solar system that is home to millions of comets. Astronomers think it orbits the sun once every 80,000 years. Its coma is about 130,000 miles (209,000 kilometers) in diameter, and its tail extends about 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) into space.

Check my feed for a daily “comet tracker,” with helpful sky diagrams and comet viewing tips.

I wish you clear skies and open eyes.

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