A rare, bright comet will be visible over Kansas City in the coming days. How to spot it
Skygazers are in for a treat over the coming weeks.
A rare, bright comet will be visible in the night sky over Kansas and Missouri for the rest of October after starting the month with an appearance over the southern hemisphere.
The comet, discovered in 2023 by Chinese and South African researchers, is named Tsuchinshan-ATLAS after the two observatories that first recorded it. But after it passes by the Earth, NASA expects Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may leave the solar system entirely.
How to see the comet over Kansas and Missouri
To get a glimpse of the comet while it’s still in view, look west around 45 minutes after sunset. Find Venus — the bright planet often called the “Morning Star” — and look to its right. The comet should appear as a fuzzy light point with a long tail stretching off of it.
When will the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS appear over Kansas City?
In Kansas City, sunset time will shift from around 6:37 p.m. back to around 6:17 p.m. through the second half of the month. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will remain visible in the sky for the rest of October, but will be brightest before Saturday, Oct. 26.
Some Kansas Citians have already shared photos of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS on Reddit taken from the Northland, the WWI Memorial downtown and Shawnee Mission Park.
If you don’t catch it on the first night you look, try again on subsequent nights. The comet will appear gradually higher in the sky and set later each evening as the month goes on.
The long, visible tail is part of what makes comet sightings so unique. These tails are caused by solar winds blowing gas and dust off the comet itself, creating a long plume of debris. While it usually points away from the sun, the direction of this tail can also be influenced by the sun’s gravity and the comet’s trajectory through the solar system.
Do you have more questions about astronomical phenomena in the Midwest? Ask the service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
.jpg)