Comet Tsuchinchan-ATLAS. Picture Credit score: Apostolos Christou
The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) has efficiently captured pictures of the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet, a uncommon celestial object making its closest strategy to Earth for the primary time in 80,000 years. This comet, named after its simultaneous discovery by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and the ATLAS astronomical survey, gives a glimpse into the traditional previous of our photo voltaic system.
Comets are icy our bodies that date again to the formation of the planets and the Earth. They sometimes reside in a distant spherical cloud surrounding the photo voltaic system, solely sometimes venturing near the Solar. Because the comet approaches the Solar, its ice begins to thaw, releasing fuel and dirt that create a placing tail, giving the comet its ethereal look.
Talking on the significance of this occasion, Dr. Apostolos Christou, Analysis Astronomer at AOP, stated: “It is a really outstanding alternative for astronomers and the general public alike. The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet final handed by the interior photo voltaic system throughout a time when early people had been migrating throughout the globe. To have the ability to observe it now, utilizing trendy expertise, is a robust reminder of our connection to the cosmos and the huge timescales concerned within the life of those historical objects.”
The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet is seen from the northern hemisphere as a naked-eye or binocular object over the following week, earlier than it fades from view for a lot of 1000’s of years. This uncommon sight is a unprecedented alternative for each astronomers and stargazers.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Armagh. Picture Credit score: Apostolos Christou.
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