In what has been quite a week for night sky experts, the promised comet, which is a fragment of the origin of our solar system, has appeared in the western sky after sunset, and it looks like it will remain in view for at least the next few days . .

And it’s about to share space with a “supermoon,” which will rise on the far side of the sky and appear noticeably brighter and larger than the average Full Moon as it marks its closest approach of the year.

While you shouldn’t have any trouble seeing the moon with the naked eye, Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS might take a little more effort, which its fans say would be worth it.

In real life, the comic materials may seem like a prosaic mix of rock and ice, but “these are the original building blocks of the solar system,” says Edward Sion, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University. Plus, this thing only appears once every 80,000 years.

Where can I view the comet and how long will it remain visible?

Cloud cover and light interference permitting, the comet will be visible after sunset Wednesday evening almost due west, at an angle of about 16 degrees above the horizon, NASA says.

As the Earth rotates, the comet will sink slowly toward the southwest, said Derrick Pitts, an astronomer at the Franklin Institute. He recommends viewing it with binoculars, although it is also visible to the naked eye.

“Through binoculars or a small telescope, comets look even more dazzling,” agrees Bennett A. Maruca, professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Delaware. “The gas and dust surrounding comets gives them a ‘blurred’ appearance. The word comet is derived from the Latin word for ‘hairy’.”

Although the show is expected to last several days and the comet will climb higher each night, it will also lose brightness, Pitts said.

“By the end of the month, visibility under the naked eye will fall,” he said.

About the supermoon

Unlike the comet, you don’t have to wait 80,000 years for another chance to see the full moon, but this one will be exceptional.

It is sometimes called the ‘Hunter’s Moon’. As for why, let’s say you didn’t want to be a deer enjoying the moonlight before.

The moment of fullness will occur on Thursday at 7:26 a.m., but only a celestial nitpicker could tell the difference between what rises Tuesday evening, at 96.5% fullness, and Wednesday, at 99.6% fullness, and that moment of 100%. The moon will appear big and powerful on the horizon on Tuesday at 5:00 PM and Wednesday at 5:51 PM.

Moreover, because the moon and the sun move in a seesaw manner, the moon climbs higher and higher as the sun sinks lower in the sky in the approaching winter.

It will be about 30% brighter than the full moon at its highest point — when it is farthest away — and 20% brighter than “normal,” says Karen Masters, a professor of astronomy and physics at Haverford College.

Granted, while it’s not an encore of the Northern Lights that electrified the sky over parts of the region on Thursday evening, “the moon is always beautiful,” she said.

And while no Earth-bound solar outbursts are expected in the near term, nor aurora opportunities around here, “the sun should remain active for a little while longer,” Masters said, “so hopefully another one soon.”