Comet Last Seen By Ancient Egyptians Visible Over Texas

Comets aren’t often visible to we Earthlings, so it’s a special occasion any time one graces our atmosphere with its presence. Until the end of next month, an especially rare comet will pass right by our home planet — one that only does so every 5,000 years. That means humanity hasn’t seen it since ancient Egyptian times, and it’s visible over Texas. Here are the facts:

Comets are small Solar System bodies composed of ice, dust, and tiny rock particles. They get warmer and begin releasing gasses upon approaching the sun, a process that produces a visible atmosphere and, sometimes, a tail.

Flickr/Victor P.

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), or Comet ATLAS, was discovered in late December of last year. The brightest comet of 2020 at one point, it has, unfortunately, dimmed quite a bit due to disintegration.

Wikipedia/Raysastrophotograhy

Even still, experts are holding out hope for a dazzling celestial event. The Hale-Bopp comet, which whizzed past Earth in 1997, was bright enough to see during the day! A similar spectacle this time around would be epic.

Flickr/Giuseppe Donatiello

With an orbit of about 5,000 years, Comet ATLAS hasn’t been visible to humans since ancient Egyptian times.

Flickr/Will POWER

Throughout the month of April, the comet will be located in the constellation of Camelopardalis. It will move into Perseus on May 12, and finally Taurus on May 31, before leaving the planetary region entirely.

Wikipedia/Sidney Hall

Luckily, the moon will be new on May 23, when the comet reaches its closest point to Earth. The timing couldn’t be more perfect – provided cloud cover is minimal, of course.

Wikipedia/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

A telescope will provide the best view, but it isn’t an absolute necessity. You likely won’t see Comet ATLAS without any assistance, but a small set of binoculars should work just fine.

Flickr/Chase Elliott Clark

Click here to learn more about Comet ATLAS. Have you spotted this rare comet yet? If not, will you try to catch a glimpse on the day it comes closest to Earth next month? Let us know your thoughts, and check out our previous article to see where you can marvel at the night sky year-round: Over 2,000 Stars Are Visible To The Naked Eye At Big Bend National Park In Texas.