C/2023 A3 comet sighted in Türkiye

Since its discovery by scientists in January 2023, the C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) comet, eagerly awaited by sky enthusiasts, has started to be seen in Türkiye's skies.

With an estimated orbital period of approximately 80,000 years, the C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) comet can be observed with binoculars and telescopes on the eastern horizon before sunrise starting from Friday, but it will be too close to the Sun to be seen with the naked eye for several days.

"If it doesn't break apart, it will be observable again from mid-October." According to some scientists, the comet will reach its closest position to the Sun between October 8-13, and due to the Sun's heat and solar winds, it may warm up excessively and break apart. If the comet does not break apart, it will be observable again in the western horizon after sunset from mid-October.

Discovered last year and observed just before sunrise for four mornings, the C/2023 A3 comet attracted the attention of astrophotographer Murat Helvacıoğlu and his friend Sinan Kendirci, who kept watch overnight in Kastamonu to capture this once-in-a-lifetime natural event.

Astrophotographer Murat Helvacıoğlu and his friend Sinan Kendirci prepared hours in advance to photograph the comet, which can be seen even with binoculars or a small telescope from areas without light pollution, entering the coordinates into the telescope to study the comet.

At a field preparation site at the Sapaca village junction in Kastamonu, Helvacıoğlu and Kendirci captured images with special equipment as soon as the comet became visible, witnessing this natural event that occurs once every 80,000 years.