A newly discovered eagle makes for some exciting sky-gazing this summer.
Comet C/2023 E1 ATLAS was discovered in March 2023 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which is sponsored by NASA and operated by the University of Hawaii. These four telescopes spread over Hawaii, Chile and South Africa scan the sky to find near-Earth objects with the aim of warning of possible dangers on Earth.
Although not very bright, the comet will be easy to see for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers, high in the sky throughout the summer near Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper. Comet E1 ATLAS reaches perihelion, its closest point to the sun, on July 1.
Related: Comets: Everything you need to know about the ‘snowballs’ of space
By the time the July new moon arrives on July 17, the comet will be closest to its brightness and will have moved east toward the constellation Cephus, the Whale. If you go looking for a comet yourself, don’t expect to see a green snowflake with a prominent tail; Through most rear-end optics, the comet will appear as green mud.
When comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) was discovered, it was extremely faint at magnitude +19 (the lowest, the brightest object). Since then it has brightened around magnitude +10, enough to be seen with binoculars and most intermediate-level telescopes, but still too dim to see with the naked eye. The star is expected to reach a magnitude of +8 or +9, still fainter than most of the night sky.
However, comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) has proven to be a draw for avid astronomers. Austrian astronomer and astronomer Michael Jaeger has photographed C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) several times, and is finished grab his little tail:
Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) 2023 june 15 22.20 UT LRGB 1300/240/240/240sec 12″/4 Moravian G3-16200 2x2bin Michael Jäger pic.twitter.com/Dc3J5MsPxLJune 16, 2023
In a 100-minute show on June 18, Jäger he drew a picture which shows the comet’s motion relative to its background.
Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) 2023 june 18 22.30 UT 100min 14″/4.2 QHY600 Michael Jäger pic.twitter.com/n0aHYa7Lx4June 19, 2023
Astronomer and astronomy teacher Dave Eagle captured the image of the comet on June 26 from Rounds, England.
Another comet is visible, this time in Ursa Minor. This is Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) taken early this morning. The faint tail is visible in the first image. Another almost overnight, it’s a busy day, not very clear. – headache, tiredness and forgetfulness of the day. It is now fixed. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/B17N1hYkiAJune 26, 2023
And comet hunter and astronomer Taras Prystavski photographed a comet from Utah’s Great Basin Desert. on June 23showing the green appearance of the comet in detail.
Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS)2023 Jun. 23.23 UT Dia.=&10.2′ Tail=&25′ in PA 119 degrees. [T68] 0.28-mf/2.2 RASA astrograph + CMOS… iTelescope observatory, U94 (far Great Basin Desert, Beryl Junction, Utah, USA) pic.twitter.com/rlIkbHZJFTJune 24, 2023
Want to see comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) or take amazing photos of comets and other celestial objects? Our tips on the best binoculars and the best binoculars will help.
Learning about the best astronomical cameras and the best astronomical lenses will also help you capture the best astronomical images.
Editor’s Notes: If you take your own photos of comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) and want to share them with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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