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Rare comet spotted in North Texas sky

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Rare comet spotted in North Texas sky

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FORT WORTH, Texas – A comet that only occurs in 80,000 years was spotted in the skies over North Texas this weekend.

Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas passed less than 44 million miles from Earth on Saturday and was visible in the United States.

If you missed the comet, you should be able to see it throughout the month.

Until about October 26th, you can look at the western sky every evening after sunset, as long as the sky is clear.

“Comet C/2023 A3 poses no threat to Earth,” says Peter Veres, a researcher at the Minor Planet Center. previously told FOX Weather. “We know the comet’s orbit well. The orbit is getting better and better as more and more astrometric observations arrive at our center – the MPC.”

North Fort Worth (Source: James Dunn and EllieJo)

The celestial object was discovered in 2023 by observers at China's Tsuchinshan Observatory who were conducting routine monitoring.

Comets are the remnants of the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago and are made up of a mixture of ice, dust, rocks and gases.

“Some comets do not survive close encounters with the Sun. If they get too close, radiation and gravitational forces can completely disintegrate them. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS did not suffer this fate, but another comet that astronomers observed, C/2024 S1 ATLAS, may have in May.” NASA explained.

Based on orbital calculations, astronomers estimate that once the comet leaves Earth's field of view, it could take another 80,000 years to become visible again, assuming it survives its journey around the solar system.

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