The UAE and the world at large will witness the brightest comet of 2024, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3), which can be seen with the naked eye, next October.

Called ‘Comet of the Year,’ the comet  is currently traveling between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and can only be viewed through a telescope.

The comet is expected to be brighter and to appear with a tail, which means that when it passes during the fall, it may be brighter at night than many stars and the UAE people will be able to observe it, said Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and a member of the Arab Union for Space Sciences and Astronomy. 

From October 8 to 14, the comet may sometimes be as bright as the luminous planet Venus at night, which makes it visible to the naked eye, and would be at its closest location to the sun on October 10, he added.

The comet would be easily visible in the northern hemisphere, while it would be visible immediately after sunset in the southern hemisphere, he said.