What is the best time and direction to see Mt Purple and Comet Atlas?

Comet Zijinshan Atlas is an aperiodic comet discovered last year by the Zijinshan Observatory in China and the Atlas telescope in South Africa. It has been seen making its closest approach to the sun around Saturday, September 28 this year, and continuing behind it.

(clarity)
Comet Shikinzan-Atlas is at its brightest in the first half of October, and its brightness appears to be 3rd magnitude or higher.

The brightness of the comet is expected to gradually decrease from this week, but as it moves away from the direction of the Sun as seen from Earth, the sky behind it will darken, making it easier to see. Especially around the 20th (Sunday), there will be a good balance between the brightness behind the comet and the brightness of the comet, making it the most suitable time for observation.

As the comet moves further away from Earth next week, it is expected to become fainter and smaller.

(direction and time)
Up until the first week of October, it was visible in the eastern sky at dawn, but now it appears in the western sky after sunset. The best chance to see it is from around 6pm after sunset.

If you compare the same time zone, the altitude gets higher each day, and the time zone gets the same altitude later each day. In areas where the western skies are clear, views around 7pm will be good around the 20th (Sunday).

From around the 15th (Tuesday) to around the 20th (Sunday), you may be able to vaguely see Comet Shikinzan and Atlas with the naked eye. However, it will be difficult to see the tail of the comet, and we can only vaguely tell that it is a comet.

At that time of year, you can see the comet with your own eyes if you use a telescope or binoculars. If possible, look for it in a place with a clear view of the low western sky, check the comet’s direction using a star map app, and try to find it using Venus or landmarks other as landmarks.

If you have a camera with an adjustable exposure time, telephoto lens, tripod, etc., you should be able to take pictures around the 14th (Monday). Another way is to take pictures with a camera through an astronomical telescope.

Comet Shikinzan-Atlas may now have a brightness similar to that of Comet NEOWISE in 2020, making it the brightest comet in four years.

Not only comets come close, but also many newly discovered ones, such as comet Shikinzan/Atlas, so it is a good idea to check the information from from time to time.

In the western sky around sunset, you may see a bright, white line like a comet. These are often contrails illuminated by the setting sun.

As for comets, they start to be visible about an hour after sunset. Its moving speed is almost the same as the positional speed of objects such as the sun, so if it changes position and disappears after a few minutes, it could be a contrail cloud .

If the trailing light lasts less than a few seconds, it may be a meteor. In the case of a comet, it is only visible for a moment.

Although there were many sunny spots during the first half of the three-day weekend, starting today, the 14th (Monday) Sports Day, the high pressure system is expected to move away, and as a result there will be more days across the country under the influence of moist air.

If the sky in the west is cloudy or if the sky is hazy, it will be difficult to see the comet. Try to spot comets with the weather forecast on your side.
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Photo: Weather Report (App News Weather)