(SRN NEW/AP) – As if recent rare glimpses of the Northern Lights were not enough, north Georgians are getting another celestial treat.
A newly-discovered comet, Tsuchinshan-Atlas, is making a once-every-80,000-years swing by Earth this week, and the weather forecast for the Gainesville area and the rest of north Georgia – clear skies – makes it ideal for getting a glimpse of the visitor. Also, it’s bright enough to see with the naked eye, although binoculars and telescopes will give a better view.
“It’ll be this fuzzy circle with a long tail stretching away from it,” said Sally Brummel, planetarium manager at the Bell Museum in Minnesota.
Though it was closest to the Earth Saturday it will be visible the rest of the month. Look toward the west about an hour after sunset.
The comet, also designated C/2023 A3, was discovered last year and is named for the observatories in China and South Africa that spied it.
It came from what’s known as the Oort Cloud well beyond Pluto, according to Brummel. After making its closest approach about 44 million miles (71 million kilometers) of Earth, it won’t return for another 80,000 years — assuming it survives the trip.