This is your unique opportunity to see a spectacular comet fly across the night sky.

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, also known as Comet A3, will be visible across the US tonight through October 24. But as the month progresses, it darkens and moves further away from the sun and higher in the sky.

Your chances of a good view obviously depend on the weather.

How to find the comet:

– Provide the clearest possible view of the western horizon.

-Look in that direction from about 15 minutes after sunset until about 45 minutes after, depending on your exact location. The comet will be quite low on the horizon.

-Binoculars or a small telescope can help, as can keeping your eyes out of the light to preserve your night vision.

Weather.com Senior Meteorologist Dina Knightly adds:

– Light from the setting sun can accentuate the comet, making it more visible.

-Many of us in the United States will have a good chance of seeing it tonight as cloud cover won’t be too bad. Set a reminder so you don’t miss it. Here’s our prediction.

Why this is so important:

– Comet A3 won’t reenter the inner solar system for another 80,000 years, if it ever does.

-Scientists thought the comet might burst during its closest pass to the sun on September 27. NASA astronomer Bill Cooke says: “Comets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water. ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.”

-NASA says the comet could eventually be thrown out of our universe like a pebble from a slingshot, thanks to “the gravitational influence of other worlds and a ‘jetting’ effect caused by the comet’s outgassing during its solar transit.”

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Weather.com reporter Jan Kinds covers the latest news and articles related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.