Hot on the tail of the Quadrantids meteor shower, another celestial spectacle is coming: comet Atlas C/2024 G3, which will reach perihelion—the closest point of its orbit to the sun—on January 13. , we will also see it at its closest point to Earth, and it could be the brightest comet in 2025, during which no other comet will be visible to the naked eye. eyes Here’s everything you need to know. C/2024 G3 was discovered on April 5, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas)—a network of telescopes that scans space for asteroids that could potentially hit Earth. The comet originates from the Oort Cloud, a remote region at the outer edge of the solar system that is believed to contain remnants of the material that formed the planets of the solar system. When comet C/2024 G3 reaches perihelion, it will come within 13.5 million kilometers of the sun—for context, Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, orbits the star at a distance of 47 million kilometers. According to the latest calculations reported by the Planetary Society, C/2024 G3 can reach a magnitude of -4.5, which is about the same as Venus, and can be seen with the naked eye for people located in the southern hemisphere. The comet’s extraordinary journey close to the sun, however, raises the question of whether it will be alive. Its orbital path suggests that the comet is a dynamic old comet, and that it is not its first trip around the sun. In fact, its last approach was about 160,000 years ago, which means it may have survived a close pass. “It will be very hot and may not survive,” said Nick James, director of the British Astronomical Association’s comet section. “But if it does, it can be an impressive object in the evening sky of the southern hemisphere after perihelion.” How to Observe the Comet If it survives unscathed, the comet will be visible in the southern hemisphere in the west after sunset in January. 13. The configuration of the comet’s orbit makes it difficult to observe for those in the northern hemisphere—it will appear very low in the sky after sunset or before sunrise, but it will likely sink at dusk. The comet’s close proximity to the sun means identifying it can be tricky, and James says C/2024 G3 “should only be observed if you’re an experienced observer.” Looking directly into the sun without protective equipment can cause permanent eye damage. There is also interference from the light of the moon, which will be in the waning phase, which can make observation more difficult. Observing comets with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere is possible, but binoculars or a telescope may be required. Those who do not want to miss the show can follow the comet in images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory’s Lasco C3 coronagraph, or consult the IAU Minor Planet Center or the Comet OBServation (COBS) database. This story originally appeared on WIRED Italy and has been translated from Italian.
