Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Mexico

Explanation: The new comet has passed its closest to the Sun and is now moving closer to the Earth. C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is currently moving out from inside the orbit of Venus and on track to pass its nearest to the Earth in about two weeks. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, pronounced “Choo-cheen-shahn At-less,” , is near naked-eye visibility and easily picked up by long-exposure cameras. The comet can also now be found by observers in Earth's northern hemisphere as well as the south. The featured image was captured just a few days ago above Zacatecas , Mexico . Because clouds were obscuring much of the pre-dawn sky, the astrophotographer released a drone to take pictures from higher up, several of which were later merged to enhance the comet's visibility. Although the future brightness of comets is hard to predict , there is increasing hope that Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will further brighten as it enters the early evening sky.

Growing Gallery: Comet Tsuchinsan-ATLAS in 2024