The original “Halloween comet,” comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1), may have mostly disintegrated as it got close to the sun on Monday, Oct. 28, but there’s another spooky-looking object in the night sky this Oct. 31 — if you know where to look.
With a New Moon on Friday, the night skies this week are dark and the come tis “up” for a lot longer than it was last week, making views of its coma and tail through binoculars and small telescopes impressive.
You may even get two, or even three, celestial sights for the price of one.
With solar activity spiking this week, any geomagnetic storms may have the Northern Lights visible after dark. What certainly will be visible —albeit from a dark sky destination — will be the Milky Way, which flows through the “Summer triangle” stars that the comet is currently cruising through.
Do you know where to look for the comet? See two sky charts below explaining two different techniques of locating comet A3.
Where Is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?
Now 91 million miles (146 million kilometers) from Earth and shining at a magnitude of +4.1 in the constellation Ophiuchus, the comet is now getting fainter and smaller with each passing night.
A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will get you a view. Another way to see it is to photograph the comet with a camera or a smartphone, with a long exposure image of a few seconds showing it more easily.
Note: times and viewing instructions are for observers at mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Check the exact time of sunset where you are and the comet’s setting times on Stellarium Web for times that are accurate for your exact location.
How To Locate Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Thursday, Oct. 31
Position: west, 56 degrees from the sun in Ophiuchus
Time: from 60 minutes after sunset until about 22:30 local time
Magnitude: +4.1
Comet’s distance from the sun: 86 million miles (138 million kilometers)
Comet’s distance from Earth: 91 million miles (146 million kilometers)
How To Find The Comet Using Venus
If you look southwest about an hour after sunset, you’ll likely see the bright planet Venus. That’s your guiding light to the comet.
Look above Venus for the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. Look halfway between Venus and Vega, and you should find the comet, though probably only if you use a pair of binoculars.
How To Find The Comet Using The Summer Triangle
Since Venus will sink soon after sunset — or you may have horizon clouds or mountains to contend with — you can also use the stars of the Summer Triangle, of which Vega is one. Find the other two that make up the famous asterism — Deneb in Cygnus, above Vega, and Altair in Aquila, to the left.
Now, make a rough triangle between Altair and Vega by pointing down to the horizon. The third point is roughly where the comet will be. You’ll need binoculars to see it — as well as a dark, clear sky.
What Is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?
It’s a long-period comet from the Oort Cloud, a sphere around the solar system that’s home to millions of comets. Astronomers think it loops around the sun once every 80,000 years. Its coma is about 130,000 miles (209,000 kilometers) in diameter, and its tail extends around 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) into space.
Check my feed for a daily “comet tracker,” with useful sky charts and tips for viewing the comet.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
