Newly Discovered Comet C/2024 S1 Could Be Brightest in 60 Years! When To Watch?

A newly discovered comet, known as Comet C/2024 S1, has captured the attention of astronomers. The comet, discovered just days ago on 27 September, could become one of the brightest in decades, potentially visible even during daylight.

How was Comet C/2024 S1 discovered?

The discovery of Comet C/2024 S1 was made by The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii, which scans the sky daily for potential asteroid threats. On Friday, 27 September, ATLAS detected a moving object that was later confirmed as a new comet.

According to NASA, this comet is classified as a “sungrazer,” meaning it will pass very close to the sun. These types of comets are known to brighten significantly due to their proximity to the sun.

The potential for a daylight-visible comet

Mike Murray, planetarium manager and astronomer at Delta College, provided insight into what makes sungrazer comets fascinating:

“What’s cool about these sungrazer comets is that they have the potential to reach naked eye visibility if they survive their close approach to the sun. In many cases, they end up breaking apart because of their volatile composition. It’s worth keeping track of what happens.”

Predicting brightness and visibility

It’s believed that the comet, which has been provisionally named A11bP7I, could get as bright as magnitude -7, meaning it could potentially be brighter than Venus.

However, predicting the exact brightness of a comet can be challenging. It’s difficult to forecast how bright a comet will become as it gets closer to the sun. Much depends on its composition and whether it can survive the intense heat during its close pass.

When will we see Comet C/2024 S1?

Comet C/2024 S1 is expected to make its closest approach to the sun on October 28. Before that date, it will be visible in the Southern Hemisphere. After it passes by the sun, those in the Northern Hemisphere may also have the chance to observe this potentially brilliant comet.

As Mike Murray suggests, we’ll have to wait and see if the comet becomes bright enough to be seen during the day. Either way, it’s an event worth watching, as it could be the brightest comet in over 60 years.