This has the potential to garner the most attention just based on the title in a year full of comets and other great celestial happenings in Massachusetts.
Comet for Halloween without a head
This month, there is a real potential of seeing another comet, and the timing might coincide with Halloween night, so it’s not all hype.
Right now, comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1) is moving in our direction. It could sound a little familiar. The comet known as ATLAS (C/2023 A3) was spotted last week. The basis for this naming scheme is the type of telescope used, who discovered it, and when. The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System is known as ATLAS.
Their separation from the sun is the primary distinction between this comet and the last one. The comet last week traveled over 40 million miles from the sun’s intense heat, passing roughly midway between Earth and the sun.
At just over 700,000 kilometers from the sun, this new comet is set to pass much closer.
There’s a significant risk that most, if not all, of the comet will be entirely destroyed because of this relatively close contact. Actually, a lot of astronomers think that a large portion of the comet’s head may have already experienced this. The “headless” headline was born.
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October 26
On Saturday, October 26, the first crucial date is. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft will be able to see the comet at this point. SOHO is roughly a million miles away from Earth and circles the sun and Earth. Its only function is to keep an eye on the sun all day and all night.
Comet C/2024 S1 will come into view of SOHO’s coronagraphs on October 26. When Comet C/2023 A3 performed the same action a few weeks ago, it looked like this.
The head and tail of the Comet are vividly visible.
28 October
October 28th is the next important date. The comet will reach perihelion, or its closest approach to the sun, around this time.
What will transpire during this conversation is unknown. Once more, the comet might break apart entirely or it might come out without a head but still have a tail that is visible and dazzling.
We’ll see! Again, if there is anything left to see, the northern hemisphere’s greatest viewing would take place between October 29 to November 6.
