Unveiling the Celestial Wonder: Your Guide to the Rare Comet of a Lifetime!

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Stargazers will have the opportunity to witness a once-in-160,000-year comet this January, marking the brightest occurrence of its type in nearly two decades.

Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) was identified as the third comet found in 2024, which is how it got its name. At the time of its discovery, it was located more than 400 million miles from Earth and could not be seen by the unaided eye or even typical telescopes, as stated by Space.com.

During the examination of the comet’s trajectory, researchers discovered that this cosmic entity was likely older than initially believed, having likely passed close to the sun approximately 160,000 years ago.

Fortunately, for those who weren’t around 160 millennia back, astronomers forecast that the comet will soon be visible to skywatchers in 2025.

As per The Planetary Society, this comet will be primarily observable in the Southern Hemisphere; however, residents of the Northern Hemisphere will still have a brief window of opportunity to observe this captivating event in January.

Individuals in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to catch a glimpse of the comet throughout most of January, just before dawn; meanwhile, those in the north will find it easily visible only from January 12 to January 14, as reported by Space.com.

The publication mentioned that on January 12, the comet will be noticeable about 35 minutes prior to sunrise, positioned around 5 degrees above the sun. Regrettably, it will not be detectable by the naked eye, but binoculars should suffice to locate it.

“Starting about 25 minutes before dawn, gently scan the east-southeast horizon with binoculars to attempt to see the comet,” the source recommended.

Conversely, the comet will be observable roughly 35 minutes after sunset on January 14, located about 7 degrees above the sun. Again, binoculars will be essential.

The news outlet noted that this comet will resemble an especially bright star and may feature a short, stubby tail extending from it.

Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) is just one of several thrilling celestial occurrences expected in 2025, and could possibly be not even the most fascinating event taking place in January.