Subhi Agrawal
It appears to be the season for comets. While Comet A3 is heading toward the Sun, another comet is on its way. Discovered by the ATLAS survey in Hawaii on September 27, this new comet has yet to receive a name.
New Comet A11bP7I Expected to Shine Bright
The newly discovered comet has been provisionally designated A11bP7I and is anticipated to shine as brightly as Venus. According to spaceweather.com, its brightness may allow it to be visible even during the daytime. This means you won’t need any special equipment to catch a glimpse of the comet in the sky.
The newly discovered comet is classified as a “Kreutz sungrazer” and is expected to be visible in late October and early November.
Best Viewing Times For The Comet
Mark your calendars for October 28, when the comet will reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun. On this day, it is expected to have a brightness magnitude of -5 to -7, allowing you to scan the skies during the daytime for a chance to see it.
Before perihelion, the comet will be best visible in the Southern Hemisphere. If it survives its journey to the Sun, observers in the Northern Hemisphere may have the opportunity to witness a spectacular display.
About Kreutz Sungrazer Comets
Kreutz sungrazers are comets from the Kreutz family, known for making extremely close approaches to the Sun.
The term “sungrazers” comes from their orbits, which bring them within a few thousand kilometers of the Sun’s surface.
Due to their close proximity to the Sun, most sungrazers are destroyed. However, the larger comets that survive this encounter develop bright tails and become visible from Earth.
Sungrazers are thought to have originated from a single massive comet that fragmented approximately 2,000 years ago.
The most recent sungrazer to visit was Ikeya–Seki (C/1965 S1) in 1965, which was also visible during the daytime and significantly brighter than A11bP7I.
“A11bP7I is at least 4-5 magnitudes fainter than Ikeya-Seki at the same distance,” Qicheng Zhang, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory, told spaceweather.com.
“Nonetheless, it could still produce a prominent visual display in early November if it survives its close encounter with the sun.”
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