Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered just last year. On its closest approach, it came just within 44 million miles from Earth, remarkably close in terms of distance in outer space.
But what exactly is a comet? And why were we able to see it so brightly in our night sky? Comets are the frozen leftovers from the formation of our solar system. They are made up of ice and dust. As they near the sun, they are heated and release gas in the form of a tail that stretches millions of miles through space.
This comet is believed by NASA scientists to have originated from the Oort Cloud. A spherical shell of icy debris on the outer reaches of our solar system.
Back in September, the comet was nearing the sun. Comets struggle with close encounters with the sun. Radiation and gravitational forces can break comets into pieces or disintegrate them completely. NASA scientists were unsure if Tsuchinshan-ATLAS would survive.
But it was more than healthy as it made its way into the northern hemisphere skies earlier this month. The views from Montana were jaw-dropping. It is exceedingly rare to see a comet with the naked eye, so people flocked to dark sky areas all over the state to catch a glimpse
Previous estimates had Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in an 80,000-year elliptical orbit around our sun, but now scientists believe the comet will exit the solar system altogether, never to come back into view again, some make sure you look west in our evening skies with binoculars and telescopes through the end of this month to catch this cosmic-traveler.
