‘Really cool’ comet on 81,000-year trip toward Earth has finally arrived — here’s how to see it

And you thought your commute was long.

A comet that has been on an 81,000-year journey to fly by Earth is finally arriving — and should be visible in our skies in the upcoming days, according to KSNT .

The space rock — named Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas, or just A3 for short — was only discovered last year and is billed as what could be the “comet of the decade” by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence , aka the SETI Institute.

Putting it in perspective, this once-in-a-lifetime space rock is about 1,000 times rarer than seeing Halley’s comet, which reaches our planet about once every 72 to 80 years.

While there was worry that A3 had been unexpectedly dimming en route to Earth — earlier reports included fear of it disintegrating — “Comet A3 now seems to be regaining its brightness” and is setting up a vibrant show to behold, according to SETI.

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The institute also noted that it contains “anomalies” that the scientific community will be able to look into in the coming days.

NASA astronaut Don Petitt is already tracking A3 from space himself aboard the International Space Station , with fellow astronaut Matthew Dominick watching out for “really cool” images of its journey. Other astronomers like Victor Rivera in Puerto Rico are also getting sneak peeks while earthbound.

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There will be two viewing windows for the comet over the coming weeks for the northern hemisphere — the first being early morning on Friday, Sept. 27, when A3 is closest to the sun.

Forbes reports that on Friday A3 will have an expected solar magnitude of 4.5 — a smidge less than a fifth of the sun’s brightness.

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The only way to see it, though, is by getting up early — approximately 1½ hours before your local sunrise.

In the dark sky, look east-southeast about 75 minutes before the sun emerges for the day. It will still be visible until Wednesday, Oct 2, but A3 will sink closer and closer to the horizon, taking away some of its brightest glimmers.

Livestreams will also be available to view the comet.

Then, and perhaps easier for many, A3 will be its closest distance to Earth — 44 million miles away — an hour past sundown on Saturday, Oct. 12, in the west.

While still visible, A3 will gently dim throughout almost all of October until the 30th.

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