Comet visible over Austria from October 12

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The comet named “Tsuchinshan Atlas” should also be visible in Austria from October 12.
Not only auroras possible at the weekend: According to the Vienna Astronomy Association (WAA) and comet expert Michael Jäger, the striking tail is developing extremely promisingly, as reported to the APA. Jäger, chairman of the Martinsberg Astronomical Center (Lower Austria), photographed the “striking phenomenon” in Namibia.
For WAA CEO Alexander Pikhard, Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, observed for the first time in early 2023 by the eponymous telescope facilities in China and South Africa, “lives up to its promise.” In addition to images from southern Africa, impressive images from Australia and New Zealand are circulating. The WAA is therefore “confident that it will also be visible here for a few days in the evening from October 12″.

Non-periodic comet
The celestial body is one of the non-periodic comets, which usually only come close to the Earth again after very long periods. The chunk comes from the Oort Cloud, a spherical collection of objects at the outermost edge of our solar system. According to experts, the last time the comet “Neowise” (C/2020 F3) was as bright as Tsuchinshan Atlas was in the summer of 2020.

Overall, it is difficult to predict how bright such a celestial body will actually be around its flyby of the sun. It all depends on the matter ejected in the form of gas and dust as a result of heating by the sun. So far, however, the comet has stuck “exactly to the predicted brightness model,” says Pikhard.

Look to the west
The question remains about where to look from Saturday, October 12, until the end of the month. Provided the weather is clear, you should look to the west at dusk, according to the WAA: In the first few days, Tsuchinshan Atlas should even be visible to the naked eye, “although not as clearly as a few days ago in the southern sky. Binoculars are advisable in any case and will help you find the comet at dusk,” explained Pikhard.

Martinsberg and Sophienalpe
In Martinsberg in Lower Austria, people are invited to watch the aurora borealis together starting next Saturday, weather permitting. The WAA also organizes observation evenings on the Sophienalpe in Vienna-Penzing, weather permitting.