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    • How to see a unique comet from Texas this week: NASA
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    How to see a unique comet from Texas this week: NASA

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    If you missed the rare comet sighting last night, don’t worry: It will remain visible in parts of Texas for the next two weeks. But pay close attention to the viewing period, because once it disappears, it won’t come back for tens of thousands of years!

    Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (pronounced Choo-cheen-shahn) is a rare, unique comet that is visible once every 80,000 years. The comet, also called C/2023 A3 and Comet A3, was spotted this weekend in several US states, including Texas.

    This weekend was “one of the better times to spot it” because “it’s coming out of the glare of the sun,” Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, told the Detroit Free Press, part of USA TODAY Network.

    NASA said the comet is expected to pass an estimated 45 million miles (70 million kilometers) from Earth on Saturday, Oct. 12. The comet could reportedly be seen with the naked eye, but binoculars may be needed later in the month.

    “It should also be visible for the rest of October, but as it continues to move it will get higher in the night sky, but further away from the sun, so less bright,” Schmoll said.

    The comet passed closest to the sun at the end of September.

    How to spot the comet

    Comet A3 can be viewed after sunset by looking toward the western horizon. Binoculars or smartphone cameras with night mode can improve vision. The comet will be distinguishable from stars because of its recognizable tail and the size at which it appears in the sky. Although stars are much larger than comets, Comet A3 will be corpses larger in the sky due to its proximity to Earth.

    Of course, the viewing experience also depends on whether the sky is clear or cloudy and whether buildings or other structures obstruct the view.

    Although Comet A3 may be visible through October 26, this week offers the best views of this rare phenomenon.

    What does the comet’s name mean?

    The now appearing comet took its name from those who first discovered it last year: the Tsuchinshan or “Purple Mountain” Observatory in China and the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa , the Detroit Free Press Releases.

    – USA TODAY contributed to this report.

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