Spectacular moment comet streaks over Golden Gate Bridge at sunset - how to watch the phenomenon later this month
The comet of the century was spotted in San Francisco, California, early Friday morning, and astronomers believe it will make another appearance in October.
The comet of the century was spotted in San Francisco, California, early Friday morning, and astronomers believe it will make another appearance in October.
The beautiful spectacle was seen at sunrise over Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning around 6am.
Stunning time-lapse footage was captured by a photographer, Shreenivasan Manievannan, who positioned his camera roughly six miles away.
Comet A3, also known as Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3), could be seen due to its positioning between the Earth and the Sun.
Comet A3 was seen flying over the Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise early Friday morning, and is due to reappear in mid-October
The comet of the century is officially known as Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3), named after the place where it was first spotted at the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory
The comet was named after the place where it was first spotted in 2023, the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory, and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.
It has been described as the comet of the century, with predictions that it will outshine everything but the Moon and stretch its tail over a large portion of the sky, according to The Planetary Society.
On Friday morning, Comet A3 reached its perihelion in its 80,000-year orbit - meaning at this point it was as close as it will get to the Sun at about 36 million miles.
The comet rose in the east an hour before sunrise in the Northern Hemisphere. On September 30, Comet A3 also appeared alongside a crescent moon and was visible to the eye, according to Forbes.
On Friday morning, Comet A3 reached its perihelion in its 80,000-year orbit - meaning at this point it was as close as it will get to the Sun at about 36 million miles
Astronomers predict that Comet A3 may become the brightest thing in the sky apart from the Moon
As it sinks closer to the Sun, it will only be visible for a short period of time an hour before sunrise on October 3.
It will next be seen on October 12, the comet is predicted to re-emerge within twilight hours and will pass at its closest point, about 44 million miles from Earth.
Astronomers predictions hold hopes for the comets brightness to increase upon its re-emergence in October, making it possible for city dwellers to see it.
Its predicted to start each evening higher in the sky and be easier to spot, as long as the comet stays bright enough.
The Southern Hemisphere had a clearer sight of the comet, but as we approach the middle of October it is expected that the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see it more clearly.
Minjae Kim, a space expert at the University of Warwick, recently advised MailOnline that anyone attempting to see the comet should use binoculars or a telescope. It would also be better to position yourself with a good view of the horizon due to the comets low position in the sky.
The averted vision technique is also recommended by The Planetary Society, where its suggested to look slightly above the comets position to make out clearer details.
The longest known orbit of a comet takes more than 250,000 years to make one trip around the Sun
Comets are large objects made up of dust and ice that orbit the Sun. According to NASA, they are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system and when frozen, they are around the size of a small town. As they heat up whilst orbiting closer to the Sun, they can become as large as a planet.
The gravity of a planet or star pulls comets from their usual positioning in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud, this can redirect a comet toward the Sun. Once pulled in, as it gains speed, it will swing back around the Sun to where it came from.
We are able to see comets in our skies as they make this journey through the inner solar system, in either direction.
Comets can be classed as long-period or short-period depending on the years it takes for them to orbit around the Sun. Short-period comets take less than 200 years, the longest known orbit takes more than 250,000 years to make one trip around the Sun.
