How to see rare A3 comet over New Jersey
Dozens of comet chasers headed to the Meadowlands Wednesday night for a look at a sight you’ll only see every 80,000 years - the rare A3 comet.
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If you wish upon a star, you might see a unique sight in the skies this week.
Dozens of comet chasers headed to the Meadowlands Wednesday night for a look at a sight you’ll only see every 80,000 years - the rare A3 comet.
Its core - a bright rock of ice and rock - and tail are visible to the naked eye in perfect conditions, but it’s best observed with binoculars or via your local observatory.
The experts at the William McDowell Observatory in Lyndhurst say A3 was last visible on Earth 80,000 years ago.
But, it’s not that these comets are inherently rare. The rare part is all the conditions - such as the comet’s orbit and our cloud coverage - being in alignment.
“We weren’t expecting it,” said observatory director Bob Laura. “I knew it was around, but there’s been others that it didn’t happen. This is a very good one. It’s a bright comet, it’s a couple miles wide. As comets go, everything worked out well for us to see it.”
The best time to see it is between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Start by looking where the sun sets.
“Venus is a very, very bright star over where the sun sets,” Laura said. “Then, look to the right of it for an orange star, Arcturus. About halfway up, a little bit higher than Arcturus, it’s there.”
Laura says it doesn’t show up very clearly on a phone camera. Air and light pollution are also issues in the tri-state area.
You can catch a glimpse of A3 for about another week, but after that, it will be another 80,000 years.
Click here to learn more about A3.
