Brightest comet of the year can be seen starting this week; find out more

THE comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will be the brightest in 2025 and can be seen in the night sky from the second half of January .

This Monday (13), the celestial body passes its closest point to the Sun and begins to shine in the sky, making it possible to see it using binoculars.

THE C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), the system used by NASA to monitor near-Earth objects and possible impacts, in April 2024.

Comets are large bodies made of dust, rocks and ice, leftovers from the formation of our Solar System more than 4.6 billion years ago. As the comet approaches the Sun, the ice and dust begin to vaporize, reaching a gaseous state and forming the comet’s tail.

Like other comets that pass too close to the Sun, there is a chance that C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will not survive perihelion and will be completely vaporized.

How to observe the comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)?

The comet can be seen in dark skies with the help of binoculars from the second half of January .

The best time to try to observe it is shortly after sunset, close to the horizon line, in a westerly direction, between the constellations of Capricorn and Pisces Austral .

Also check out astronomy apps to help you locate and track astronomical phenomena in the night sky.

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This content was originally published in Brightest comet of the year can be seen from this week; Find out more on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil

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