A comet discovered last year was visible across Japan on Sunday, as the celestial body made its closest approach to Earth. Many people observed the comet and its long tail in the early evening sky.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was first spotted by astronomers in China and South Africa last year.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is said to have been closest to the sun on September 28, Japan time. Between the end of September and early this month, the comet could be seen at dawn, especially in the southern hemisphere.
On Sunday, the celestial body is said to have reached a point about 71 million kilometers from Earth, the closest it will come to the planet.
Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory advises that the comet will be visible in the lower western sky after sundown for about a week.
Observatory officials say that on Monday and Tuesday, the celestial body will be as bright as a star, with magnitude of 1.5 to 3. But they say man-made light interference may conceal the comet because it will be near the horizon.
The officials also say that between Wednesday and Sunday, the comet will be darker, but may be visible to the naked eye because it will be higher in the sky.
Project Professor Watanabe Junichi from the observatory says he hopes people will focus their attention on the western sky in the evening because this is a rare opportunity to see a comet with such a visible tail.