Where is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS tonight, Wednesday October 16? The icy visitor from the outer solar system, which orbits the sun once every 80,000 years, is now visible in the western sky after sunset – and is now quite high and easy to see, clear skies permitting.

If you get out just after sunset, you will also see the almost full “Hunter’s Moon” shining brightly behind you in the east and looking west.

ForbesYour ultimate guide to seeing the comet every evening this week – before it fadesBy means of Jamie Carter

Wednesday, October 16 is the ideal time to search for the comet (also called C/2023 A3 and Comet A3) from the northern hemisphere. It reached his perihelion – closest to the sun – on September 27 and on Saturday it was closest to Earth, at a distance of about 44 million miles (71 million kilometers).

It is now 78 million kilometers away, but crucially it is higher in the sky so it is easier to see above mountains and buildings. If you find it, here’s how to photograph it.

Here you can read exactly when and where to look to see the comet with your naked eyes on Wednesday, October 16.

Please note: Times and viewing instructions are for mid-latitude observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Check the exact time of sunset where you are and the comet set times are on Stellarium web for accurate times for your exact location.

How to locate Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Wednesday, October 16

Position: west, 33 degrees from the sun in Serpens

Time: 45 minutes afterwards sunset where you are

Magnitude: +1.1

Comet’s distance from the Sun: 57.8 million miles (93.1 million kilometers)

Comet’s distance from Earth: 48 million miles (77.2 million kilometers)

Wednesday, October 16 is a good time to get a good look at the comet as it continues to rise in the sky after sunset. That’s despite the fact that the waxing moon is now 99.7% illuminated in the southeastern sky, on track to become a full “Hunter’s Moon” on Thursday, October 17.

Tonight the comet will be visible over the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset and set about two hours later. That means it will be in the sky about fifteen minutes longer than Tuesday.

If you have a completely clear horizon, look for the bright planet Venus and the bright twinkling (and reddish) star Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes; the comet will be just above a point about halfway between them.

All you need to see the comet are your naked eyes, but binoculars will give you a great view.

Why is comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS so bright?

There are dozens of comets in the inner solar system at any time. However, few of them become visible to the naked eye – or even become a binocular object. So what’s so special about Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

“The comet is currently moving between the Sun and Earth, so light bent (bent around) by dust grains in the tail, which would normally be concentrated in the direction opposite to the comet’s Sun, is now concentrated in the direction of Earth,” said astronomer Dr. Qicheng Zhang of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, who monitored the comet, said in an email. “This is the same effect that makes thin clouds really bright when illuminated by the sun; only in that case it is ice crystals or water droplets that bend the light.”

As a bonus, a comet’s tail typically points away from the Sun, meaning it points straight toward Earth, which brings us close to the tail and makes it appear larger in the sky, Zhang explains.

“A third factor is that the comet passed its closest point to the Sun last month, which is roughly the point where the dust was released most rapidly,” says Zhang. “However, dust doesn’t just disappear after being released by a comet – it also causes the tail to become bright.”

Because the comet moves between Earth and the Sun, rather than in front of it, after releasing most of its dust, the tail will be extra bright.

Check my feed every day this week and next for a daily “comet tracker” with sky maps and comet viewing tips.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.