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Scientific American

Scientific American

Will Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Be the Brightest of the Year?

Scientific American
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C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) will become bright in the next two weeks .

It will be just 60 million kilometers out of the sun when it reaches its closest approach to the sun.

The comet will be getting a big blast of heat and light so the comet will get—and when.

2023 A3 will be in Earth ’s early-morning sky at that time, albeit very low on the horizon.

Over the next week , as it rounds the sun, the comet will change its position in the sky.

It reaches perigee, or its closest approach to Earth , a couple of days later on October 12 .

Some estimates put it at a magnitude of 5.0 , which is brighter than Venus .