SPACE — Scientists detect a new comet heading for Earth. This comet is predicted to be brighter than the green comet (C/2022 E3 (ZTF). The green comet has just crossed Earth for the first time in 50,000 years in early February 2023.
The new comet in question is named C/2023 A3. This comet was discovered in January by astronomers at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China. The comet is also visible in images taken by the Palomar Observatory.
Reported from BGR, Thursday (9/3/2023), the orbit of the bright comet is quite long. The comet completely orbits the Sun every 80,660 years. The comet’s closest approach to the Sun will occur in 2024.
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If this comet can ‘survive’ its closest approach to the Sun, it will pass near Earth on October 13, 2024.
Astronomers are still not even sure if the comet will make a round trip. If the comet can withstand the heat of the Sun, astronomers believe it can reach magnitude -5 at its brightest.
As an illustration, the Sun has a brightness value of -26.7. While the Moon -11. That means this bright comet can shine nearly half as bright as the Moon in the night sky.
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