C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

Type: Hyperbolic Perihelion date: 27 September 2024 Perihelion distance (q): 0.4 Aphelion distance (Q) : n/a Period (years): n/a Eccentricity (e): 1.0 Inclination (i): 139.1 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve The ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) team discovered an 18th magnitude asteroidal object in images taken with the 0.5 m Schmidt at Sutherland, South Africa on 22 February 2023. Pre-discovery observations by ZTF were found from 22 December 2022 to be found. The comet could become a visual telescopic object in February 2024 and will still be a telescopic object for UK observers when lost in the summer twilight in June. If SOHO is still operational it will pass through the C3 field as a bright object between about 6 and 12 October. It quickly emerges into the evening sky, when it could be an easily visible object with a tail. It could remain a binocular object into December and a telescopic object into 2025. The comet could turn out to be a small one and disintegrate at perihelion. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 1-Mar-23 17.9 0.4 16-Mar-23 17.8 0.4 24-Mar-23 17.6 0.4 29-Mar-23 17.5 0.4 13-Apr-23 17.18 0.06 17.2 0.4 23-Apr-23 17.1 0.4 24-Apr-23 17.3 0.4 29-Apr-23 17.0 0.4 17-May-23 17.5 0.4 22-May-23 16.9 0.4 26-May-23 17.0 0.4 08-Jun-23 16.8 0.4 19-Jun-23 16.7 0.4 17-Jul-23 16.7 0.4 02-Aug-23 16.8 0.4 07-Aug-23 16.4 0.4 18-Aug-23 16.5 0.4