Comet C/2024 G3 is passing by the earth tonight, Monday, January 13. But not in an apocalyptic way. It’ll maintain a safe enough distance that you’ll be able to enjoy it streaking across our night skies. If you want to see Comet C/2024 G3, consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that is unless you live for another 160,000 years.
At its closest point, the comet will come within 8.3 million miles of our sun and 8.7 million miles of Earth. It’ll be quite bright as far as comments are concerned — it might even be brighter than some of the stars in the sky.
You Won’t Be Able to See This Passing Comet Again for Another 160,000 Years
Unfortunately, Comet C/2024 G3 will be best seen from the southern hemisphere, but those of us north of the equator will be able to see it when it heads back toward the sun. The comet will appear close to the horizon in the West and will gradually dim as it moves further from the sun later in the month.
We didn’t even know this comet existed until April 2024. Researchers think it originated from the Oort Cloud, a distant region of icy objects at the edge of the solar system. Its icy coating will melt and create a tail as it nears our son, shedding gas and dust along the way that will make us ooh and ahh as it passes.
Once it’s done giving us a gander of its awe-inspiring beauty, it will loop around and head back toward the outer limits of our solar system to begin another leg of its approximately 160,000-year journey for us to see again in the year 162,025 or so.
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