The Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which is believed to be visible once every 80,000 years, was photographed in the sky over Quy Nhon City in Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam on Sunday morning.

Le Quang Thuy, an expert in astronomy at ExploraScience Quy Nhon, said that international astronomers had calculated the path and the time it was visible.

Hoang Duc Ngoc, the photographer taking photos of Comet C/2023 A3, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday afternoon that he is passionate about astronomy, and got information about the comet through groups on social media.

To take the photos, he drove to Phuong Mai Peninsula in Quy Nhon City early on Sunday morning and saw the comet around 4:00 am, Ngoc said.

According to astronomers, the comet originates from the Oort Cloud, a giant spherical shell that surrounds the solar system and contains billions of icy objects.

It was discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China on January 9, 2023, and independently found by ATLAS South Africa on February 22, 2023.

The comet, believed to orbit the sun once every 80,000 years, according to earth.com, became visible on September 27 and will remain so until sunrise on October 2. It is expected to appear as a fuzzy ball with a tail stretching across the sky.

“C/2023 A3 has an orbital period of approximately 80,000 years, classifying it as a long-period comet. This means its behavior and appearance can be unpredictable, with potential changes in brightness and tail development as it approaches the sun,” Minjae Kim, a space expert in the University of Warwick's astronomy department, told earth.com.

“If predictions hold, it could be visible to the naked eye, appearing as a fuzzy star with a tail stretching across the sky. Otherwise, binoculars or a small telescope may reveal more detail in the comet’s structure and tail,” Kim added.

Comets typically break apart as they move closer to the sun, but if this one remains intact, it will be visible to the naked eye when it comes closer to earth. The predicted best days of visibility are October 12 until 20.

In the words of Starwalk, an astronomical app for stargazers, comet C/2023 A3 is the “most anticipated comet of the year.”

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