Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) is now getting brighter and growing a tail, according to Sky and Telescope.
That doesn’t sound right. Has it seen a doctor?
Ugh, are you one of those comet change deniers that doesn’t believe in evolution, and thinks god made the second comet from a rib of the first?
“Even if it does get that bright, we’re unlikely to get much benefit because, at its brightest, it will be very low on the horizon and lost in its haze, as seen from the northern hemisphere.”
Sweet.
Looking more forward to the soon to be seen nova. Been a banner year for stargazing _
When is that supposed to happen?
Was the aurora once-in-a-lifetime? It seemed like typical-ish solar maximum stuff, which happens every 20 or so years. Was there something special about those specifically?
I saw the aurora when I was in my 20s and I wasn’t able to see it this time, so I guess it’s been once in my lifetime so far? But potentially not in the lifetime of others. And I assume a regular event for those living far enough north.
No, it’s just Forbes blog reporting.
It was unusual in how far south it was visible in many regions of the world. It’s been roughly 50 years since the last time that happened. Obviously the subjective impact depends a lot on where you live. Some see it every year, others only will get the chance when the Sun explodes and strips away our magnetosphere entirely. Which hopefully will not become a centennial event.
Not all solar maximums are created equal, and the cycle is only 11ish years. Our last maximum for example was one of the weakest we’ve ever seen, this one seems unusually strong.
For whatever reason (mostly geography), I missed all my chances of experiencing beautiful celestial events. None of the major eclipses that happened (solar or lunar) were viewable where I am, the aurora didn’t even reach us, and despite being the closest neighbor south to both Spain and Portugal, I didn’t see that comet either. All I remember seeing was rainbows, and even those are really rare.
Can you tell I hate being in Morocco?
I’ve seen the northern lights dozens of times and I’m in my 20s
