Look up into the sky this month and you just might see a comet that won’t return for tens of thousands of years.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as C/2023 A3 to scientists and pronounced Choo-cheen-shahn , is expected to be visible to the naked eye for several weeks this October across the Northern Hemisphere, with the best opportunity between Oct. 12 and 26, according to NASA .

The comet has already been photographed around the world, including in the sky above the Golden Gate Bridge in California, shining as bright as some of the planets.

The comet got its name from the first astronomers and observers who saw it in early 2023. The Tsuchinshan Observatory in China detected it first in January, followed by a team using the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, in South Africa.

Initial reports from astronomers say that the comet’s orbit around the sun could be once every 80,000 years, making its appearance near Earth a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Its closest approach to our planet will be on October 12, when it will be at a distance of 44 million miles. For perspective, Mars is about 140 million miles away.

How to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

In September and the first days of October, the comet has been visible closer to the equator and from the Southern Hemisphere, but as we approach mid-October, it will start becoming more visible across the Northern Hemisphere, however, it is also getting farther from Earth with each day, according to NASA .

If you search for it in the dawn twilight, you’ll have to look east-southeast just above the horizon. You’ll have to face west-southwest if you search for the comet in the evening.

According to Space.com , the comet will be most visible a few minutes before sunrise or a few minutes after sunset. Binoculars or a basic telescope will help give a better view.

The outlet also said that there may be opportunities to see the comet in the daytime, and it cautioned people to not stare into the sun as they search for Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

17 News Alerts

Comets are leftover debris from when the solar system formed and are composed mainly of dust, rock and ice, according to NASA. As they approach the sun, they send out gases and dust, which create their iconic tail.

Some comets completely break up from the heat of the sun, never to be seen again.

Those that do survive could take many years, even centuries, before they approach the Earth again.

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, if it survives, won’t return to the Earth for another 800 centuries.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.