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What it is : Comet C/2024 G3 ( ATLAS )
Where it is : In the Nox sky over Chile , somewhere in the innersolar organisation
The ‘Great Comet of 2025’ C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) soared through Earth’s skies in January. It will not be visible again for hundreds of thousands of years.
When it was divvy up : Feb. 12 , 2025
Why it ’s so special : Nicknamed the " Great Comet of 2025 , " Comet C/2024 G3 ( ATLAS ) is currently the brightest comet forecast to be visible from Earth all twelvemonth . Discovered on April 5 , 2024 by theAsteroid Terrestrial - impact Last Alert System ( ATLAS ) , it is a nonperiodic comet that ’s traveling on an orbit that wo n’t bring it back to the sunlight ’s vicinity for C of yard of class .
Comet C/2024 G3 make perihelion — the close spot tothe sunin its orbit — on Jan. 13 , 2025 . At this point , it was just about 8 million miles ( 13 million kilometers ) from the sun , well within Mercury ’s orbital cavity . That day , the comet ’s brightness top out at magnitude -3.8 , as describe by theComet Observation Database ( COBS ) . ( In uranology , a lower order of magnitude means a brighter object . For comparison , Venus , which is currently visible at nighttime in the ongoing " parade of planet " — has a magnitude of -4.8 flop now , accord totheskylive.com . ) Observers in the Southern Hemisphere could see the Great Comet before and after perihelion , while for Northern Hemisphere viewer , it was visible in the daytime sky only around perihelion .
Another view of comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) taken over the mountains of Chile at dusk.
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This captivating pictureshows the once - in - a - life comet as see over the town of Andacollo , Chile , on Jan. 24 , 2025 . The comet was beautifully catch by César Briceño , theater director of theSouthern Astrophysical Research Telescope . Briceño used a mirrorless DSLR photographic camera with an 85 millimetre lens at ISO 1600 to get 10 disjoined mental image , each exposed for 30 moment , which were then stacked to create this arresting view .
The image reveals how the comet ’s coming into court has alter due to its proximity to the Dominicus . One of the most noticeable characteristic is the vaporized cloth of the comet ’s rooted - solid effect , known as the nucleus , which gives the comet a unparalleled shape . As the comet convey close to the sun , it gets warm up up and its wintry material transforms from solid to gas . This process creates long tails and an atmosphere around the cell nucleus , call the coma .
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The diffuse comatoseness in the lower - left recession strike bright , blot out the nucleus . Twin tailcoat are seen emerging from the nucleus . A debris track made up of heavier dust mote that are illume by reflected sunlight makes up the upper flow of tails . The crushed stream is composed of gas pedal that glow from ionization . This tail stage in a dissimilar direction than the first one because it ’s influenced by the sun ’s magnetic discipline , which makes it line up with the solar wind , the current of charge particles give forth from the sun .
While wispy trails of artificial planet photobomb the view , the surreal starry backdrop do the comet truly stand out . Another breathtaking image , which Briceño catch the same night , lay out the showstopper against the backdrop of the Chilean mountains near the ocean , showcasing a clear sky at gloaming .
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