Naked-eye comet from Chile
The comet C/2023 A3 was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa on February 22, 2023. Additionally, observers from the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China found the comet on images on January 9, 2023. Therefore, the common nickname for this comet is Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.
However, observers had to be patient, as the comet was only clearly visible from the Southern Hemisphere in September of this year. It is currently moving into the Northern Hemisphere, where it could provide a beautiful evening show from October 12 onwards. Its closest approach to the Sun was on September 28, and its closest approach to Earth will be on October 12. The comet is moving quite fast at 80.74 km per second relative to Earth.
I observed the comet in the morning hours from the Obstech-El Sauce Observatory in Río Hurtado, Chile. At this location, it was clearly visible to the naked eye. However, the viewing window was quite small, as the sun was rising and the brightening of the sky washed out the comet. But what a beautiful sight!
