Don't miss seeing Comet A3 in Mississippi. It won't be back for 80,000 years

A comet that was expected to break up has not only survived, it's bright enough and close enough to Earth to be seen with ordinary binoculars or even the naked eye.

However, if you miss it this time around, don't worry. It will be back in about 80,000 years.

"A comet was best originally described as a "dirty snowball" by the astronomer Fred Whipple in 1950, if I remember my years correctly," said Chris Sirola, associate professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Southern Mississippi. "Most comets are made of out ices.

"Primarily water, but carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and others can contribute. But there's also usually rock thrown inside and a layer of carbon dust on its surface."

According to the website EarthSky, there was speculation that Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which is nearing Earth and the Sun, was breaking up earlier this year. That doesn't seem to be the case, though. The frozen chunk of matter, which Sirola described as "potato-shaped," is still intact and is visible in the night sky.

Comet tails can be millions of miles long

"A comet is normally very dark," Sirola said. "It's covered in dark carbon, is very small, and is very far away.

"But when a comet gets close to the Sun, the ices under its skin become warm enough to liquify and burst out as geysers. As such liquids reach the vacuum of space, they flash-freeze into tiny ice crystals which are extremely reflective. This material eventually trails away from the Sun, not behind the comet necessarily, to form a comet's tail. Comet tails can reach for tens to hundreds of millions of miles long. The tails reflect sunlight and, if angled across our line of sight, can often be seen by the naked eye."

And that's what is happening now. According to EarthSky, the comet is nearing the Sun and will be closest to it on Sept. 27. From a dark spot, it may be visible with the naked eye, but if not, a small telescope or ordinary binoculars should do the trick.

It's also something you may not want to miss. Even though the comet is orbiting through space at a leisurely 180,610 miles per hour, it's not expected to return for another 80,660 years.

When and where to see Comet A3

Right now, the comet should be visible from a dark place with a clear unobstructed view of the eastern sky. It will be low over the horizon just before dawn.

Toward the end of September, it will make a transition. As we move into October, Comet A3 will move to the western sky and be visible in early evenings.

According to EarthSky, Oct. 12-13 should be a good time to see Comet A3 as it will be higher in the sky and close to Earth.

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