hot on On the heels of the Quadrantids meteor shower, another celestial sight is about to arrive: Comet Atlas C/2024 G3, which will reach perigee—the closest point of its orbit to the Sun—on January 13. On the same day, we will also see it at its closest point to Earth, and it could become the brightest comet of 2025, a year in which no other comet is likely to exist. visible to the naked eye. Here’s everything you need to know.
C/2024 G3 was discovered on April 5, 2024 by the Asteroid Earth Collision Warning System (ATLAS) – a network of telescopes that scans space for asteroids that could potentially hit Earth. The comet comes from the Oort cloud, a remote region at the outer edge of the solar system that is thought to contain remnants of the material that made up the planets of the solar system.
When Comet C/2024 G3 reaches perihelion, it comes only 13.5 million kilometers from the Sun—in the background, Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, orbits the star at a distance of 47 million kilometers. According to the latest calculations reported by the Planetary Society, C/2024 G3 could reach a magnitude of -4.5, about the same as Venus, and would probably be visible to the naked eye for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
However, the comet’s unusual journey to the Sun raises questions about whether it will survive. Its orbital path indicates that this comet is dynamically old and that this is not its first trip around the Sun. In fact, its last approach is estimated to have been around 160,000 years ago, meaning it may have already survived a close pass. “It’s going to get very hot and it may not last,” says Nick James, director of the Comet Division British Astronomical Society. “But if it is, it could be a spectacular object in the evening sky from the southern hemisphere after perihelion.”
How to observe the comet
If the comet survives, it will be visible to the west in the Southern Hemisphere just after sunset on January 13. The comet’s orbital configuration makes observation difficult for those in the Northern Hemisphere—it appears very low in the sky just after. Sunset or before sunrise, but probably drowns in twilight.
The comet’s proximity to the Sun means spotting it can be tricky, and James says C/2024 G3 “should only be observed if you’re an experienced observer.” Looking directly at the sun without protective equipment can cause permanent eye damage.
There will also be interference from the moonlight, which will be in its waning phases, which can make observations more difficult. Observing the comet with the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere may be possible, but binoculars or a telescope may be required.
Those who don’t want to miss the show can follow the comet in images from the Lascaux Solar and Heliosphere Observatory’s C3 coronagraph, or visit the IAU’s Minor Planet Center or the Comet Observation Database (COBS).
This story appeared first WIRED Italy and translated from Italian.
