September 23, 2024
Galaxies were colliding long before you were born, and they will keep colliding long after us all.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Approaches
Birthday · September 23, 2024
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APOD published September 23, 2024. Credit: Brian Valente & Greg Stein. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What will happen as this already bright comet approaches? Optimistic predictions have Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) briefly becoming easily visible to the unaided eye -- although the future brightness of comets are notoriously hard to predict, and this comet may even break up in warming sunlight. What is certain is that the comet is now unexpectedly bright and is on track to pass its closest to the Sun (0.39 AU) later this week and closest to the Earth (0.47 AU) early next month. The featured image was taken in late May as Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, discovered only last year, passed nearly in front of two distant galaxies. The comet can now be found with binoculars in the early morning sky rising just before the Sun, while over the next few weeks it will brighten as it moves to the early evening sky. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
Image credit: Brian Valente & Greg Stein