Since this Saturday, October 12, people in the northern hemisphere have been able to admire a grandiose spectacle almost every evening at sunset. C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas, billed as “the comet of the century”, is now visible in the Paris skies. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to gaze up at this incredible celestial body until October 21.
How to observe the “comet of the century” in the Paris skies?
Shooting star showers, super moons and eclipses– astrological phenomena (literally) put stars in our eyes at every event. And right now, a few months after the Perseids, we’re treated to a visit from a formidable comet. First discovered by China’s Purple Mountain Observatory in January 2023, then observed again by a South African telescope, this majestic celestial body has survived its passage close to the sun and is now visible in the northern hemisphere.
So, what’s the best way to see this beautiful spectacle from our Parisian rooftops? First of all, several factors need to come together, such as the darkness of the sky and the brightness of the comet. If conditions allow, look to the west, locate the Big Dipper and the star Arcturus to its left. It’s precisely to the left of the latter that you’ll be able to observe Tsuchinshan-Atlas. Be sure to start observing at sunset, as the darker it gets, the higher the comet will be in the sky and the fainter its intensity.
Since Tsuchinshan-Atlas has been observed relatively recently, little precise information on its origins and trajectories has yet been revealed. The most likely hypothesis is that it originated in the Oort cloud, a cluster of millions of comets at the edge of the solar system. It would have travelled for millions of years before being visible from our blue planet.