'Comet of the century' excites skywatchers

THUNDER BAY — It's more than just the Northern Lights that are currently drawing eyes to the sky in Thunder Bay and all over the world.

The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which some have dubbed the comet of the century because of its brightness, is visible on the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset.

Thunder Bay amateur astrophotographer Joey Mastrangelo posted images of the comet – also known as A3 – on social media after taking his camera to Hannah Road, off Highway 130, on Tuesday evening.

He has a special camera that removes "noise" – often described as a grainy veil – from photos.

Some people might prefer to use binoculars to spot the comet first, but it can be followed with the naked eye.

"It was amazing," Mastrangelo told Newswatch. "You could see it with the unaided eye. You didn't need a camera. You could just look up and see the comet with its tail."

He said the comet stayed in sight for a couple hours.

Although its brightness is steadily decreasing, A3 should remain visible until about Oct. 24.

This is the last opportunity to see it, as it won't appear again for another 80,000 years.

"I'm hoping to get out a few more times to see it, because throughout the days as the sun changes the pressure on the comet, it can change the direction of the tail," Mastrangelo said. "It can produce a larger anti-tail, which is like the tail, but it's bigger pieces of dust and ice that project in front of the comet."

Coincidentally, on Wednesday night skywatchers looking for A3 would also have been able to take in the biggest full moon of 2024, as the moon reached its nearest point to Earth.