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    • Comet A3 is still visible; like you see in New Jersey
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    Comet A3 is still visible; like you see in New Jersey

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Your social media feed is probably filling up with pictures of the night sky again.

    A week after the northern lights were visible in the mid-Atlantic, a rare comet appeared.

    But if you missed it on Wednesday, don't worry; You still have a few days to catch it.

    Comet C/2023 A3 – known as Comet A3 for short – was first discovered last year and was first visible in the night sky earlier this month, with the peak of observation occurring October 16-20.

    How can I see Comet A3 in New Jersey?

    Comet C/2023 A3 will be visible in the sky for more than an hour each night shortly after sunset for the next few days.

    For those in New Jersey, the sun sets around 6:25 p.m., so the best viewing begins around 7:10 p.m. The comet is visible for about 90 minutes before it sinks too low.

    About 45 minutes after sunset, go outside and look in the direction the sun sets, in the west-southwest sky.

    Initially it will be lower on the horizon, but each night it will rise higher, giving you a better chance of spotting it.

    One way to figure out where to look is to hold your fist at arm's length with your thumb raised and align the bottom of your hand with the horizon.

    Your fist will cover about 10 degrees of the sky. On October 17, Comet A3 will be about 6 degrees – about half a fist – above the horizon.

    On October 20, the comet will be about 12 degrees above the horizon, just above your fist.

    What does comet A3 look like?

    If you look for Comet C/2023 A3, you'll notice a blurry, glowing ball moving slowly across the sky. From our position it will drift from right to left in the west-southwest sky. If you're in a really dark area, you might also be able to catch a glimpse of its tail trailing behind the comet.

    The tail is faint but visible under ideal conditions, and if it's clear enough, it could stretch across about 5 degrees of sky – which is about the same area of ​​sky that the full moon obscures from our view.

    Comet A3 will cover a small portion of the sky, but will still be visible for an hour or more each night as it approaches the horizon. While it is visible, it will gradually move horizontally across the sky.

    When you observe the comet, it doesn't look like it's moving in real time, meaning it's not darting through the sky like a shooting star. Instead, it will appear mostly stationary, just as we see stars or planets, and its position will slowly change over time. If you look at the comet early and then look again after about 10 to 15 minutes, you will notice that it has moved slightly to the left as it drifts across the sky.

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    Kathleen William
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