Northern Californians can see this rare comet that won't return for 80,000 years

SACRAMENTO — Last week, the Northern Lights had people across Northern California looking up at the night sky. Now, there's another rare celestial event on the horizon.

Look closely. Can you see it? That bright spot with a green glow in the night sky is a comet passing by Earth — but don't worry, it's still more than 44 million miles away.

Raj Dixit with the Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society said Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was first discovered last year. Astronomers say it came from the far reaches of our solar system.

"How often do you get to see something that came from three light years away, from 18 trillion miles away and that is older than the planet Earth itself?" Dixit said.

It's been visible in the southern hemisphere for weeks, and now people are seeing it across Northern California.

"It is getting higher every day this week and will get higher in the sky every day through the end of October," Dixit said. "The problem is it's getting fainter and fainter as it moves away."

It's best visible through a telescope, binoculars, or telephoto lens but it can also be seen by the naked eye. To see it, look southwest after sunset near the plant Venus.

"It's setting in the evening, so you only have that window after sunset," Dixit said. "So thinking 'it will be really dark after midnight,' no, that's not going to work. It will be gone by then."

The tail of the comet is created by light reflecting off of ice and rocks that are cast off as it flies past the sun.

"This comet has actually had two tails — a front tail and a back tail — at certain points," Dixit said.

NASA says the best chance to see it is now through October 24, and if you don't see it this year, you'll have to wait a while as it won't be visible for another 80,000 years.