Calgarians have small window each night to view newly-discovered comet

Calgarians still have some time to catch a glimpse of a newly-discovered comet, but according to an expert, the conditions have to be just right and there is only a small window each night.

The C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) comet managed to survive its closest trip to the sun and can now be seen in the northern hemisphere as it reaches its closest point to Earth this weekend.

People in Calgary will have their best chance to see it just as the sun is setting and if there are no clouds, according to Phil Langill, director of the Rothney Astrophysical Obervatory southwest of the city.

He says it will be visible to the naked eye within the next week when looking west towards the mountains as the sun goes down and the sky starts to get dark.

“We have to wait for the sky to get darker, but the problem is the comet is starting to set,” he says. “There is this chase going on between the sun setting, the sky getting darker, and the comet setting.”

“You will spot venus first. And up to the right of venus in the sky is going to be where the comet is.”

Langill says the comet is going to set later each night as it gets further from the sun over the next week or so, and as it does it’ll get a little harder to see, requiring binoculars or a telescope to see it until it’s gone in early November.

The A3 comet won’t be visible from Earth again for tens of thousands of years.

Several comets are discovered each year but many burn up near the sun or are too far away to see.

Calgarians have also been treated to dazzling displays of the northern lights this week, and aurora watchers could be in for more another round or two over the long weekend.