Topline:
The brightest comet visible from Earth since 2006, C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, should be making an appearance around twilight from Oct 12 until the end of the month.
Our vantage point: The West Coast is actually a prime viewing site — once you get away from all the light pollution, that is. Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, recommended going to the darkest spot you can find to see the comet. Basically, as Cooke said, “downtown L.A. isn’t going to cut it.”
Hit the beach: Since the asteroid will be visible on the low western horizon, Cooke recommended scoping out a spot on the beach as far away from artificial light as possible. Binoculars or even a telescope will help you spot the comet.
What to watch out for: As long as there is no cloud cover, the comet will start to be visible around 45 minutes after sunset. The general area to look is near the constellation Virgo in the low western skies. And if there are clouds in the forecast, try heading out another night: Remember, we have all month.
If you can’t make it to the beach: The Griffith Observatory told LAist they don’t have any special events planned for this comet, but they’ll still bring their telescopes out for their regular nighttime viewings between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Pro tip: Sunset is at 6:22 p.m. Saturday, so the comet will likely be visible soon after the viewing starts.
About the comet: The comet was only discovered last year, and the last time it approached Earth was during the Paleolithic period. It’s the brightest comet visible in our skies since 2006, and NASA currently has no projections for when another comet as bright as this one will pass by. Even though it will likely fade to the naked eye around Halloween, the comet will still be visible for another few months on professional telescopes.
