Social media floods with photos of Tsuchinshan ATLAS comet shooting across Dutch skies

The Tsuchinshan ATLAS comet was visible to the naked eye in many places in the Netherlands on Monday evening. Social media flooded with locals snapping a pic of the comet.

Tsuchinshan ATLAS passes close to the Earth once every 80,0000 years. This might be the last time. The comet is a colossus of ice with a diameter of almost 3 kilometers. Its tail of dust and gases stretches over tens of millions of kilometers.

The comet came closest to the Earth on Saturday, but will also be clearly visible in the coming weeks. The best chance to spot it is outside the city on an open field or beach, or on a dune or hill, meteorologist Magdel Erasmus of Buienradar told RTL Nieuws.

“Make sure you stand with your back to any street lights and that there is no artificial light reflecting in your eyes. Then look west where the sun sets. You should be able to see it then.”