In early October, Indian stargazers observed Comet C/2023 A3, which was last seen 80,000 years ago. This has excited several astronomy enthusiasts in the country.
Image: Instagram/Sathya Narayanan Sridhar
According to many Astronomers, the comet is expected to be closest to the Earth between October 12th and 24th.
The comet, which was reportedly closest to the Earth on October 12, was captured by many astrophotographers. It is being described as the brightest comet observed in over a decade.
On October 1st, a team travelled to Gongma La in Ladakh to photograph the celestial event and shared breathtaking images of the comet.
Image: Instagram/Abhinav S, Atish A, Lakshmi N, Pritam P, Smita S, Anuj S, Angchok P
The comet was also captured recently by the Thiruvananthapuram Astronomical Observatory run by the Kerala University on October 16 and 17.
Image: Instagram/Keerthi Kiran M
The comet originates from the distant Oort Cloud. It was first discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China on 9 January 2023.
The comet was also observed by South Africa’s ATLAS observatory on 22 February 2023. This marks the comet's return since the time of the Neanderthals.
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