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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

Comet C/2023 A3 Could Be the Next Great Comet [seti.org]:

Earlier this year, shortly after the excitement of comet C/2022 E3, astronomers found another icy visitor grazing through their images. This comet, C/2023 A3 ( Tsuchinan-Atlas), was discovered independently by ATLAS in South Africa and Tsuchinsan Observatory in China - and given their namesake. But will this one be the great naked-eye comet of the decade we've been waiting for?

[...] Currently , C/2023 A3 is very faint as it flies outside Jupiter's orbit, but the fun will peak next year when it skims closely past the Earth and the Sun. Its perigee, or closest approach to Earth, will occur on October 13 placing the comet less than 0.5 Earth-Sun distances (AU) from our planet. Perihelion will occur shortly before, on September 24 , 2024.

Interestingly, both of these points in the comet's orbit will position it between the Earth and Sun. This "forward scattering event" may bolster the comet's brightness. In this case, sunlight coming from behind the comet, according to our perspective on Earth , is scattered off of dust particles in the comet's coma towards our eyes . As a result, the comet could appear brighter than we would expect, but there is a caveat – its sandwiching between the Earth and the Sun means the best viewing will occur during the evening or morning instead of the darkness of night.

All in all, it is still too soon for us to know precisely what C/2023 A3 will do. Astronomers are still unsure of the comet's size, which could determine whether it breaks apart during an outburst of sublimation or stays intact. The type of ices and their distribution in the comet's nucleus can also affect how its brightness will change. However, with the help of Unistellar Citizen Astronomers, these unknowns aren't keeping SETI scientists from trying to predict how C/2023 A3 will act.

[...] As long as it survives its trip around the Sun, comet C/2023 A3 is bound to ignite a spark in the new generations on our planet. Even Graykowski's conservative estimates, shown in yellow, place the peak brightness at -0.1, which is still brighter than all but a handful of stars in the sky.

[...] As C/2023 A3 journeys closer to our corner of the solar system, researchers and citizen scientists will continue to gather data and watch it intently. Through the diligent efforts of astronomers and the power of the SETI Institute/Unistellar Network, we have obtained valuable glimpses into the early stages of this comet's trek across the solar system to inform us about its future. Stay tuned for 2024!

Original Submission