The Comet C/2024 S1 has been in the news lately. This could be the second opportunity to see a comet, following the appearance of the comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS. The comet C/2024 S1, coined as the Halloween comet by Forbes, was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii at the end of September 2024.
| Comet Name | C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) |
| Discovered By | Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), Hawaii |
| Discovery Date | 27 September 2024 |
| Perihelion Date | 24 October 2024 |
| Orbital Period | Long-period comet |
| Origin | Oort Cloud |
| Magnitude Prediction | Could reach 3.0 |
The comet C/2024 S1 has become well-known because it will be visible shortly after comet Tsuchinshan. However, there is uncertainty about whether comet’s visibility due to predictions that it might break up as it approaches the Sun.
NASA stated that the comet may appear bright during the daytime around October 24. After Halloween, the comet will reappear in the western skies after sunset as the comet moves away from the Earth, it will be visible with binoculars or a telescope from November 2 to December 19, provided it doesn’t break up reported the New York Post.
The comet will be brightest during the daytime and will be visible below the sun from the US east coast around October 24 reported Economic Times.
However, the best regions to view the comet are Africa, Europe, and South America. The Watchmen Earth and Space Connection shared that the brightness of the comet is fluctuating by +/- 2 magnitude, indicating that the comet’s core may be breaking apart.
A HEADLESS COMET FOR HALLOWEEN? Headless comets are a real thing, and we might see one this weekend. Comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1) is falling toward the sun for a close encounter on Oct. 28th. Astronomers monitoring the comet say it is fluctuating in brightness by +/- 2 magnitudes–a… pic.twitter.com/B3G3BxgX1z
— The Watchmen Earth and Space Connection (@TWESC2023) October 22, 2024
However, on the positive side, the comet might reach a brightness of -5 magnitude, appearing brighter than Venus in the northern hemisphere’s pre-dawn sky if it survives the sun (perihelion).
It is believed that the comet C/2024 S1 is a fragment of the Great Comet of 1106, which disintegrated 918 years ago as it passed the sun, originating from the Oort Cloud.
