Catch a glimpse of a rare comet in the western skies over the prairies
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS came from what’s known as the Oort Cloud, well beyond Pluto. After making its closest approach about 71 million kilometres from Earth, it won't return for another 80,000 years — assuming it survives the trip.
Several comets are discovered every year, but many burn up near the sun or linger too far away to be visible without special equipment, according to Larry Denneau, a lead researcher with the Atlas telescope that helped discover the comet.
Lynn Blair, who lives in the hamlet of Furdale just outside Saskatoon, says she set out to go see the comet on Sunday night in part to reconnect with memories of her late father.
“My dad, back in the day, used to write down the day’s weather, temperature; everything,” she told CTV News on Monday.
“We’d take the boat out at night and go watch the stars.”
Blair says her husband is “very much a stargazer,” so the two of them took a drive into a farmer’s field near Asquith at sundown yesterday and waited to see Tsuchinshan-Atlas for themselves. As darkness settled over the prairie — there it was.
After taking quite a few pictures of the bare evening sky, Blair managed to capture a spectacular photo of the long-tailed comet with her iPhone.
“It was just happenstance,” she said.
A viewer shared this photo of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS taken on Sunday evening. (Courtesy: Lynn Blair)
Why do comets have tails?
“Comets are dirty snowballs,” says Ron Waldron, a Saskatoon-based member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
“When they get close to the sun, they sublimate, so the ice on the comet goes directly from ice to gas as the pressure from the sunlight pushes the tail out as it’s rounding the sun, so that’s why it has a tail.”
Waldron says the tail on Tsuchinshan-Atlas — also dubbed C/2023 A3 — is one million kilometres long.
Before it made its trip around the sun, it was visible in the southern hemisphere.
Anyone who wants to see the comet without a telescope should look soon, because it will become fainter every night, as it appears to rise higher in the night sky.
“It’s going to get dimmer every night,” said Waldron.
To see the comet, find an unobstructed view of the western horizon and watch just after dusk, around 7:30 p.m., ideally in a spot with minimal light pollution.
While comets are a regular occurrence in the night sky, they’re rarely visible to the naked eye, Waldron says.
The last time a comet passed over the earth that was visible without a telescope was in the summer of 2020, he says.
Coming on the heels of a week of vivid displays of aurora borealis, the northern lights, Waldron agrees it’s a great year to be a skywatcher — and he says we’re in for a winter of many more aurora shows.
He says the aurora will keep getting brighter right through next year. The sun is on an 11-year solar cycle that’s expected to peak next year, producing massive solar storms that later create the aurora in our skies.
For Blair, looking up at the stars serves to remind her that she is blessed.
"I hope people continue to look up at the sky. It gives you peace."
-With Associated Press files from Adithi Ramakrishnan
Travis Leite shared this image of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS taken from the RM of Battle River, Sask. on Oct. 13, 2024. (Courtesy: Travis Leite)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE Sinclair family shares heartfelt message ahead of memorial service
Murray Sinclair’s family members say the late justice and senator has been laid to rest according to his wishes.
Abuse, harassment and suicide: Report finds anti-Black racism exists at highest levels of federal government
A government-funded report released to CTV News highlights 'systemic racism' against dozens of Black executives within the federal public service, including allegations of abuse, violence and harassment that, in some instances, led to suicide.
Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — 'except for Day 1.' According to his own statements, he's got a lot to do on that first day in the White House.
Liberals to face third test in federal byelection in British Columbia next month
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale—Langley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.
King Charles III and Kate attend remembrance events as both slowly return to duty
King Charles III led the nation Sunday in a two-minute silence in remembrance of fallen service personnel in central London as the Princess of Wales looked on, a further sign the royal family is slowly returning to normal at the end of a year in which two of the most popular royals were sidelined by cancer.
Cornwall, Ont. prepares for potential influx of asylum seekers following U.S. election
As the possibility of mass deportations looms following Donald Trump's re-election on Tuesday, border towns like the City of Cornwall are preparing for a potential influx of asylum seekers.
Sarnia, Ont. police make 'high-risk' arrests, charge 3 with kidnapping
On Friday, the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) received a report of an alleged abduction in the area of Kathleen Avenue and Walnut Avenue.
Canadian delegation 'overwhelmed' by visit to Great War battlefields
It's been a trip to cherish for a group of Canadians visiting Belgium this week to honour the legacy of Indigenous soldiers.
Donald Trump knows the Canada-U.S. relationship 'in a way he didn’t before': Ambassador
Canada's ambassador to the United States — and co-lead of the federal government's Team Canada war room — says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has a different understanding of the bilateral relationship than he did during his first term in the White House.