How to see Comet c/2003 a3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in Saudi

An ultra-rare bright comet is set to pass by earth for the only time in our lifetimes, this week.

The comet c/2023 a3 will be visible from Saudi without a telescope. In the region, you should be able to see it every evening until Wednesday October 30.

Also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is extremely bright, fast, has a long orbital tail and is “like a relic from the formation of the solar system.”

While it had been visible in different countries, it is now clearer for any keen stargazers in Saudi Arbia.

Dubai Astronomy Group says it will be a “once-in-80,000-years celestial marvel” so it’s certainly one not to miss for stargazers.

What makes Comet C/2023 a3 so special?

It has been dubbed the “comet of the century“, and could potentially be so bright that it could be seen with the naked eye.

The comet is a ball of frozen gases, rocks and dust close to the sun which completes an orbit every 80,000 years, according to data.

Based on the information we have available, NASA suggests that this would be one of the more “spectacular comets” since it will have a long, streamer-like tail having brightened around the sun.

However, it’s not been a smooth orbit as some have suggested that the comet had completely vanished at one point.

Thankfully, this is not the case and it has not shown any signs of falling apart.

Whether or not we end up seeing it is not a guarantee, according to the BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine. But, they say, that the fact it has been viewed in the southern hemisphere recently means that it is in “fine health”.

The brightness and tail trailing mean the comet has been likened to previously observed comets such as the Hale-Bopp comet of the 1990s and the NEOWISE comet of 2020.

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Khadijah Ahmad, operations manager of the Dubai Astronomy Group says that the closer the comet gets, the more we learn about it.

She said: “Comets pass by every now and then, but quite rarely. We don’t know much about this comet and the closer it gets the more we learn.”

Khadijah compares it to being visited by a relic, adding, “they’re like ancient visitors they’re relics from the formation of the solar system.”

The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet has been spotted in the distance already in the UAE but will be at its most visible in the region on Saturday October 19.

NASA recommends avoiding bright city lights when watching the skies as scattered light from urban areas creates light pollution that washes out the fainter stars and the Milky Way.