A comet that won’t fly by Earth for another 80,000 years was captured in mesmerizing pictures zooming across the skies of South Carolina.
The once-in-a-lifetime comet, nicknamed A3, emerged from the Oort Cloud – a bubble-shaped, mysterious phenomenon that holds our solar system within it.
Stargazers anxiously awaited what they labeled the ‘comet of the century’, that was last seen 8,000 decades ago.
And those who were lucky enough to catch the glimpse of history were able to view the incredible images.
Now, the comet visiting Earth from interstellar space will live on through the riveting pictures.
A once-in-a-lifetime comet, nicknamed A3, was seen making its journey through the skies of South Carolina and captured in magical pictures
The comet was visible shortly after sunset in the western part of the sky over the Lake Murray Dam Hydroelectric Intake Towers near Colombia, in South Carolina
The Oort Cloud is a far distance from Earth – even further than Pluto, which is more than 3.24 billion miles away from our planet.
But the comet is expected to travel much closer and come within 44 million miles away from Earth, NASA reported.
People who reside in the Southern Hemisphere have already been able to witness the event, but those who didn’t catch it shouldn’t lose hope just yet.
Yesterday was just the first day of its arrival. Scientists said that for the next few weeks, those who take a look at the western night sky just after sunset will be able to catch a glimpse, Fox Carolina reported.
Ashley Pagnotta, professor of physics and astronomy at the College of Charleston said that it can be seen as early as yesterday with the naked eye if the sun hits the tail of the comet just right, Post and Courier reported.
The comet won’t fly through the skies of Earth for another 80,000 years and was last seen 8,000 decades ago
The comet emerged from the Oort Cloud – a bubble-like phenomenon that holds our solar system within it
But of course, binoculars could always help to see the comet in all of its glory.
The best viewing time for A3 will be early next week, Sky and Telescope reported.
The Oort Cloud sounds like any other cloud – except if humans were to visit, they wouldn’t find a puffy, white, delicate creation.
Pagnotta said that its made of massive rocks and debris – some even bigger than mountains.
It’s thought to be the outcome of leftover fragments from when our solar system was created.
Comet A3 was captured early Friday morning in San Francisco, California, just at sunrise making the journey across the Golden Gate Bridge
Stargazers refer to A3 as the ‘comet of the century’ and it made its first arrival on Friday but can be seen for the next few weeks
Billions of years ago, the cloud acted like a ‘hockey net’, catching rocks and ice chunks as big as Mount Everest, Post and Courier added.
Astronomers refer to the comets from Oort as time capsules, since they contain materials dating all the way back to the solar system’s birth.
Although the comet will still soar 44 million miles away from Earth, it is close enough for astronomers worldwide to analyze it and learn what materials it contains due to advanced technology.
The comet was named after the place where it was first spotted in 2023, the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory, and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.
Astronomers’ predictions hold hopes for the comets brightness to increase upon its re-emergence in October, making it possible for city dwellers to see it.
The Oort Cloud, from which the comet emerges from, is said to be the result of fragments left behind from the creation of our solar system
It’s predicted to start each evening higher in the sky and be easier to spot, as long as the comet stays bright enough.
The Southern Hemisphere had a clearer sight of the comet, but as we approach the middle of October it is expected that the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see it more clearly.
A3 was also spotted in San Francisco, California, early Friday morning and seen at sunrise over Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning around 6am.
Comets can be classed as ‘long-period or short-period’ depending on the years it takes for them to orbit around the Sun. Short-period comets take less than 200 years, the longest known orbit takes more than 250,000 years to make one trip around the Sun.
And lucky for us, there is absolutely no chance the comet will hit Earth as it makes its journey through the skies of our planet.
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