Rare Comet Makes Appearance As Viewing Window Opens
Sonora, CA — A comet, known as C/2023 A3, was visible over the weekend in the Mother Lode, and the viewing window across the West is through October 26, according to NASA.
Its name comes from astronomers who first discovered it at an observatory in China in 2023, followed by a team using an Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System in South Africa.
Astronomers estimate that this particular comet’s orbit around the sun could be once every 80,000 years, making it’s viewing a once in a lifetime event.  On most days, it will be visible at around 45 minutes after sunset. It will become higher in the sky each night as it moves away from the sun and out of the solar system. Viewers should gaze to the west/southwest to find it during the evening hours.
It can be viewed without special equipment but binoculars will enhance the view.
The comet was visible in the Mother Lode, and other areas across the West, during the past weekend. A special thanks to community news partner Debbie York, who sent in a picture of it as visible from Jamestown (above) and Cathy Stone-Carlson who sent a photo from a rooftop in Honolulu, Oahu (below).
