Comet last seen 80,000 years ago still visible in UK skies

A comet past seen for Earth immoderate 80,000 years agone has been spotted successful North-East England.

The C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) comet passed done the acheronian skies successful Northumberland, putting connected a amusement for skygazers equipped with telescopes astatine the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park.

Although discovered successful January past year, astronomers said it would past person been disposable erstwhile Neanderthals were alive.

Comets are made of dust, crystal and tiny rocky particles and are often described arsenic “dirty snowballs”.

They orbit the prima successful overmuch the aforesaid mode arsenic planets but travel a much elliptical path.

As they get adjacent to the sun, the comets statesman to warm, causing the much volatile materials specified arsenic the gases and ices trapped successful the comet to flight from the wrong done cracks successful the crust.

Astronomers accidental this tin marque it hard to foresee the way that a comet volition instrumentality portion passing done the star system.

Dr Megan Argo, an astrophysicist astatine the University of Central Lancashire, said: “Comets are notoriously hard to accurately foretell successful advance.”

She said these celestial objects tin make “tails” erstwhile their nuclei – the rocky and icy halfway – interruption apart.

This process of state and particulate tin go “bright capable to easy spot with the unaided eye, perchance adjacent during daylight if you cognize wherever to look”, she added.

The comet was archetypal seen connected September 29 successful immoderate countries successful the Southern Hemisphere, but came backmost into presumption past week, appearing “brighter” successful the nighttime skies.

Dr Argo said: “It is important to enactment present that since comets are fuzzy blobs connected the sky, alternatively than having the point-like quality of stars, this brightness volition beryllium much dispersed retired connected the sky.”

For those who missed the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, astronomers accidental it whitethorn inactive beryllium disposable utilizing binoculars for the adjacent fewer weeks but aft that, a scope whitethorn beryllium required.