If you’re wondering how to locate comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS tonight, here’s everything you need to know.

The best naked-eye comet since Comet NEOWISE – also known as the “Lockdown Comet” because it appeared in July 2020 during the Covid pandemic – Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also called C/2023 A3 and Comet A3) is currently in view Sky visible through the night immediately after sunset.

Tonight, Tuesday, October 15, is the second of the two best opportunities to see the comet at its brightest and most beautiful from the Northern Hemisphere. Given that it won’t come back for another 80,000 years or so, it’s definitely worth a look.

Where is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS exited sunlight late last week and is now in a fairly favorable position for observation after sunset. On Saturday it came within 44 million miles (71 million kilometers) of Earth, but was difficult to detect because it was so close to the sun.

Tonight the comet will be a massive 30 degrees from the sun, meaning it will be relatively easy to see – if the sky is clear – and quite high up in a dark sky.

However, you will need a good, clear view of the western horizon to see it after sunset. The lower you look to the horizon, the longer your view of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. If you find it, here’s how to photograph it.

Here’s exactly when and where to look on Tuesday, October 15, to see the comet with your naked eyes.

How to find comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Tuesday, October 15th

Position: West, 30 degrees from the sun in Serpens

Time: 45 minutes later Sunset where you are

Strength: +0.9

Distance of the comet from the Sun: 57.4 million miles (92.4 million kilometers)

Distance of the comet from Earth: 46.4 million miles (74.7 million kilometers)

Tonight the comet will be visible in the fading twilight near the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset and will set about an hour and 40 minutes later. That means it will be in the sky about 20 minutes longer than it was on Monday.

Note that the waxing moon will be bright at 97% brightness, making the night sky less dark. However, this shouldn’t affect comet viewing too much since the moon shines in the south and the comet is low in the west.

ForbesYour ultimate guide to seeing the comet every night this week – before it fadesFrom Jamie Carter

If the sky is clear, you can use a planet and a star to locate the comet. Find the bright planet Venus and the bright star Arcturus. The comet is just over halfway along an imaginary line between them. According to Sky& Telescope, the comet will be located approximately two fists to the right of Venus (as viewed from the northern US) or to the right of Venus (as viewed from the southern US). “As twilight turns to night, the comet remains in view, its long, straight tail pointing upward from the horizon,” it continues.

Tonight the comet moves from the constellation Virgo into the Serpent, a small and indistinct form of eight stars that resemble a snake. Next to Serpens is Ophiuchus, “the snake handler,” which the comet will enter on Saturday, October 19th.

This is how you see comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS this evening with a globular cluster and another comet

All you need to see the comet is your naked eye, but any pair of binoculars will give you an incredible view.

However, if you have a telescope, you have a bonus sight available BBC Sky At Night magazine.

When viewed after sunset, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is just 1.4 degrees (the width of your pink finger at arm’s length) below the globular cluster M5 in the constellation Serpents. Notably, Comet 13P/Olbers will also be visible.

However, this mass of 13-billion-year-old stars and the second-distant comet will not be visible to the naked eye. If you want to see these two objects, as well as comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, through a giant telescope, tune in to a live stream from the Virtual Telescope from Italy at 17:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. EDT).

How bright is comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS?

The comet shines at about magnitude +1, but changes every night. “Last Wednesday it passed its brightest point when it was 4 degrees from the Sun, when its head was about as bright as Venus at magnitude -4, although that light spread over an area of ​​sky almost the size of the sun of the moon,” said the astronomer Dr. Qicheng Zhang of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, who observed the comet, said in an email. “This made it very difficult to detect, even though it was the brightest comet in over a decade. It’s fading now, but it’s also becoming much easier to see and more visually prominent in the evening as it gets further from the sun.”

When was comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS discovered?

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered in January 2023 by astronomers at China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory (Purple Mountain) and the following month by the South African Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is a long-period comet from the Oort Cloud, a sphere around our solar system that is home to millions of comets. It enters the inner solar system and orbits the sun every 80,000 years.

Check my feed every day this week and next for a daily “comet tracker” with sky maps and tips for spotting the comet.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.