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.
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.
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.
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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