October has become a historic month for astronomy, featuring one of the brightest comets seen in the last hundred years: C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS or the "comet of the century."
NASA reports that the comet will be closest to Earth on October 12, at approximately 44 million miles away. The best views are expected on this date, but it will remain visible nightly through the end of the month. Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, said that the comet will appear low on the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset.
