Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS:

Some of the best things in life are wonderful surprises. We first heard about this comet in early 2023, thanks to astronomers at China’s Purple Mountain Observatory (Tsuchinshan means “purple mountain”) and South Africa’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It is pronounced sue-cheen-SHAHN. The comet is aptly named after these two groups; for short it is known as C/2023 A3, or simply A3.

Sunday night was the first night people in the Houston area could see it! The photos posted here were sent to our Click 2 Pins page!

How to see comet A3:

To catch a glimpse of the comet, find a viewing location with an unobstructed view to the west, free of trees, buildings, and clouds along the horizon. Try to look about 45 minutes after sunset. The comet will be between the planet Venus and the bright star Arcturus, almost exactly halfway between them. If you have binoculars, they will enhance your viewing experience. Each evening after the 14th the comet moves slightly to the upper left. As twilight deepens, it may become easier to spot it, but keep in mind that the comet will also fade.

An exact timetable:

This is from my friend Tony Rice. “The table below is calculated for Houston, showing the comet’s rise and set times and an indication of how high the comet will be above the horizon at sunrise/sunset and sunrise/sunset. Smaller distance numbers are better (brighter), larger elongation numbers (angular distance from the sun) are better (less chance of getting lost in the sun’s glare) Larger elevation numbers (higher above tree line) are better (easier to see). The visibility column is based on stretch. Happy comet hunting.”

What is a comet:

What you see is actually a block of ice. The comet’s solid nucleus, the source of its spectacle, is essentially a dirty space iceberg, probably only a few kilometers wide. It has traveled from the cold, dark reaches of the outer solar system and originated in a region known as the Oort Cloud. As the comet approaches the warmth of the Sun, some of the ice in its core, the frozen carbon dioxide and other volatiles, evaporates. This creates a haze of sunlit dust and glowing gas that forms the comet’s visible head and streaming tail, which can extend for millions of miles.

If you have any photos, please share them with me at www.click2houston.com/pins or email me at [email protected].