A3: ‘Comet of the century’ last seen 80,000 years ago still visible in the UK

A man with an astronomical laser points out the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), known as the comet of the century, in Pico De Las Nieves on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, October 17 - (REUTERS)

A comet last seen from Earth roughly 80,000 years ago was spotted from North-East England, and could be seen again this month.

The C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) was only discovered in January last year but astronomers said it would last have been visible when Neanderthals were alive. It has been called “the comet of the century” because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).