Australia witnesses a unique comet sighting after 160,000 years

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A comet is streaking through Australian skies for the first time in 160,000 years.

The rare G3 Atlas comet has returned to our galaxy for a once-in-a-lifetime event and is now visible from Australia and across the Southern Hemisphere.

Only discovered in April 2024, G3 Atlas’ orbit is being closely monitored by NASA after it emerged and a handful of Aussies have managed to sight it from earth.

Mt Canobolas in Orange NSW - G3 Atlas comet — The G3 Atlas comet as seen from Orange in NSW. (Image: Eyetrix Productions)

Dr Rebecca Allen, Co-Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University, said the next couple of days will present the best view in Australia.

“Comet G3 Atlas has survived its closest approach with our sun and is now headed back to the outer solar system,” Dr Allen told 9news.com.au.

“With a bright tail stretching 100s of kilometres, the next few days will offer a short window to view the comet before it becomes too faint.

“To have a chance at spotting it, head out just after sunset. You will need a good view of the southwestern horizon, and clear skies. Look for the extended tail pointing towards the horizon, below the bright planet Venus.”

NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured an image of the G3 from space.

“It is totally amazing to see a comet from orbit,” Pettit said from the International Space Station.

G3 Atlas has potential to be the brightest comet in our solar system in 2024 and it won’t be seen again for another 800,000 years.

Stargazers can catch the G3 paying a visit to Australian skies just after sunset, but only for a brief period.

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It will begin fading from view on earth in about three days, on January 23.

Some lucky Australians have spotted the comet before it stops being visible to the naked eye.

Photographers reported on social media seeing the comet in Orange, NSW, in Victoria’s Mt Dandenong and Mount Barker in Adelaide Hills.

NSW photographer Troy Pearson captured spectacular photos of the comet from his vantage point of Mt Canobolas in Orange on January 19.

The rare G3 Atlas comet has returned to our galaxy for a once-in-a-lifetime event and is now visible in the Southern Hemisphere. — The rare G3 Atlas seen from Mt Dandenong. (Facebook/Kevin Troy)

According to NASA, G3 came within 13.5 million kilometres of the sun on January 13.

Once it orbits away from earth’s direction, NASA calculates it won’t be that close to the sun again for approximately 600,000 years.

G3 is now sitting in the constellation of Capricorn and is flying around 146 million kilometres from earth, according to TheSkyLive.com.

Those in the Southern Hemisphere will have the best view for the remainder of G3’s galactical visit.

Its proximity to the sun, however, might make it more difficult to clearly see.

“It is quite difficult to predict how the comet will behave after its near-death encounter with the sun, so it may be a lot brighter or fainter than our predictions,” Nick James from the British Astronomical Association to SpaceWeather.com.