Lauren Thomann is a developmental editor for Real Simple as well as a freelance writer and antique dealer. She has been writing professionally for nearly two decades and founded her antique business, Ageless Heirlooms, in 2006. When she's not collecting, she loves to cover topics like news, lifestyle, home improvement, antiques, and DIY.
Sky gazers have enjoyed several rare aerial phenomena this year, from total eclipses to meteor showers and the aurora borealis. Now there's hope for another impressive celestial event: an exceptionally bright "Halloween comet" passing by the sun, which could be visible in the Northern Hemisphere in late October or early November.
Unfortunately, the comet might disintegrate before possible viewing. However, if it survives its path next to the sun, it could be one of the brightest comets since 2011 and should be seen easily in daylight. Here's exactly when you should check the skies to catch this hit-or-miss showing.
The Halloween comet was discovered in September at the ATLAS survey in Hawaii and was officially named C/2024 S1 (ATLAS). Astronomers following the comet assume it is a Kreutz sungrazer comet. These comets make their way close to the sun, making them potentially brighter, but more at risk of exploding or "fragmenting" during their pass.
The comet is projected to come within 190,000 miles of the sun's surface on October 28, and astronomers have noticed it is currently fragmenting, adding uncertainty to whether or not the comet will be visible.
Regardless of the fragmenting, residents in the Southern Hemisphere will see the comet before it passes close to the sun starting on October 23, when it will be the closest to Earth. In theory, the comet should get brighter every day from October 24 through October 28, with the best view happening in the moments before sunrise.
The comet will reach its perihelion (the moment it is closest to the sun) on October 28, and if all goes well, it will be seen in the Northern Hemisphere at dusk from October 29 onward through December. If it survives its path, astronomers say the comet could be brighter than Venus, making it relatively easy to see during the day.
Astronomers will know more in the coming days about whether or not the comet will survive the path near the sun. If it disintegrates, nothing will appear in the skies beyond October 28. (Viewing in the Southern Hemisphere also won't be as bright.) Sky gazers will have to wait until the end of the month to know if the comet shows up in the North -- but the wait is suspected to be worth it.
If viewing this comet doesn't work out, there is another viral comet, the C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which was at its brightest point around October 16 and is still visible through early November. (Though the comet is not bright enough to be seen in daylight, so you'll have look for it at night.) Map out either comet from your location on Stellarium Web.