In this post, I offer my thoughts on the Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas – the 80,000 year comet – visible in October. (Edition 1:10)

Something incredible is happening this month – the appearance of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas – being hyped as the Comet of the Century. If you don’t happen to see it this time around, don’t worry, it will return to a point visible from earth again in 80,000 years. You’ll just have to wait for it. Which begs the question…if it’s an 80,000-year comet, isn’t it much bigger than simply the comet of the century? How about Comet of the Eon? 

A comet last visible to earth during the time of the Neanderthals deserves the hype, right?

The comet will be closest to earth – within about 44 million miles – on October 12, 2024, so get your binoculars and telescopes ready. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the comet should be visible through the end of this month. According to Beth Dalbey at www.patch.com, “It will be easier to spot the comet in the evening sky. Look just after sunset for the constellations Leo, then Virgo, and scan the western horizon.” For those in the south and mid-north latitudes, your best opportunity see Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is by looking toward the eastern horizon an hour before the sun rises.

“You may also see the effect known as ‘earthshine,’ the dim light from earth that illuminates the dark side of the moon,” Dalbey said. “The comet is just one reason to poke your head in the sky during October. The Draconid ad Orionid meteor showers peak this month, the long-running Taurids continue, and full hunter’s moon is the third of four consecutive supermoons.”

It is all most incredible, don’t you think? The universe is so vast it can easily house a comet with an 80,000 year orbit. It makes me wonder even more about what might be out there. Are there other places like earth where humans and animals are able to live comfortably? I’ve always thought it is rather naïve for us to believe there is only one small, tiny place in the vast universe that has such life. Who knows? Of course, that is what science is all about – continually experimenting, investigating, and learning, always reaching beyond for additional knowledge.

Looking toward the heavens, day or night, is inspiring, amazing, and truly special. Look around you and consider the following words of American scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, “We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us.” Happy stargazing.

REMEMBER…

◊ Visit social media platform X  for a video of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas shared by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick from the International Space Station. 

◊ Remember the words of American scientist Carl Sagan, who said, “The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena…It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling and, I might add, a character-building experience.”◊ Visit www.davidajolley.com for additional blog posts and other interesting content. Visit www.brainyquote.com for a wide variety of inspirational, educational, and humorous quotes.