Comet of a century Tsuchinshan-ATLAS visible starting next week

The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS can be observed between October 11 and 15 in the Netherlands. The unique comet will be closer to Earth than the planet Venus and will therefore be visible to the naked eye, Weeronline reports. Space experts are expecting a rare spectacle that could only happen once this century.

According to the weather service, the comet has a "long, beautiful tail." In general, comets are a kind of sphere that consists of a mixture of ice crystals, dust, and grit. As soon a comet comes near the sun, the ice starts to evaporate. This creates a characteristic tail of evaporating ice particles around the comet, according to Weeronline.

The weather service speaks of a "unique opportunity" to see this comet. The best moment for this is to look west from October 11, about three-quarters of an hour after sunset. The comet is then visible just above the horizon.

In the following days, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be higher in the sky and visible for longer periods. At the same time, the comet is also moving further away from Earth and is therefore less visible, Weeronline believes. Around October 15, the comet will probably no longer be visible.