In a rare event for astronomers everywhere, “Atlas,” a huge comet roughly half the size of our sun, is predicted to appear brighter than Venus as seen from Earth by the end of April 2020. For stargazers, the appearance of Atlas may very well be the most exciting cosmic show to grace the night skies in years.
To date, Atlas has increased in brightness 4,000-fold since the day of its initial discovery. Many experts predict that the comet will be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, from dark sky locations, by the end of April.
Astronomer Matthijs Burgmeijer predicted that the comet may even become “the brightest comet since records began.”
“How bright will it get?” Burgmeijer reflected, as per the Daily Mail. “The estimates are from a conservative magnitude +2 (visible to the naked eye) to a spectacular magnitude -11, which would make the comet the brightest comet since records began. We simply have to wait and see how it will develop over the coming weeks.”
Burgmeijer added an addendum; comets are notoriously unpredictable. Still, it is rapidly ballooning in size.
For context, the Sun’s diameter registers as approximately 865,370 miles; the Earth’s is 7,917 miles.
Michael Jäger of Weißenkirchen, Austria, who captured a photograph of the growing comet on March 18, 2020, explained that Atlas’s newly formed tail was roughly the same diameter as its “coma,” or atmosphere. The comet’s tail certainly increases the chances of avid stargazers being able to see the comet in the night sky in the weeks approaching its closest position to Earth.
Another feature that will allow the comet to stand out among the many and varied constellations of the night sky is its distinctive green hue, which derives from diatomic carbon, a common constituent molecule in comets.
The Atlas comet continues to approach Earth, becoming increasingly visible each day. By late April, stargazers may no longer need their telescopes to spot the distinctive comet, and by late May, the comet is expected to rival Venus in brightness.
