FOLLOW US

Comet 31/ATLAS visible from Earth once again — and astronomers are thrilled. Contrary to recent claims that the Manhattan-sized interstellar comet was no longer observable, experts confirm that anyone with a modest telescope can now spot the object in the early morning sky.

Astronomer Qicheng Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, recently captured a striking image of the comet on November 1, which he shared on Cometary.org. “The comet is easily visible with small telescopes now,” Zhang told The Post.

Comet 31/ATLAS Visible: Science Behind the Sighting

Zhang explained that he used a 152-mm Ritchey–Chrétien reflector telescope — a six-inch telescope with a curved focus — to capture the shot. He noted that Comet 31/ATLAS’s visibility has improved because it is now “rising early enough in [the] morning twilight.”

In Zhang’s image, ATLAS appears as a “slightly fuzzy dot” against a static-filled background. The comet had been obscured since September, when it shifted to the far side of the Sun, making it nearly impossible to view.

Beaver Moon 2025: The Biggest and Brightest Supermoon of the Year - USA Herald

However, Zhang clarified that the comet’s temporary “disappearance” was not due to its position in space but rather to limitations in telescope design.

“A lot of large telescopes… can’t point very close to the horizon,” Zhang explained. “Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope also have similar limitations to where they can’t point that close to the Sun to avoid damaging their optics.”

To overcome these issues, Zhang used the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.  This telescope can observe objects as close as five degrees from the Sun. This capability enabled him to catch the comet while others were unable to.

How to See Comet 31/ATLAS

Zhang said that now “anyone with a telescope of that size and a clear sky plus a low Eastern horizon” should be able to see the comet. He added, “It’s much easier with a camera, but I expect it can probably be seen visually too with a telescope of that size.”

Michigan State University astronomy professor Darryl Seligman told The Post that the comet will become even more visible in December, when it reaches its closest approach to Earth.

“I’d say wait a few more weeks,” Seligman advised, “and then the best shot is always going to the highest and driest place that you can get to – ideally away from as much light pollution as possible.”

He added that ATLAS’s trajectory is highly predictable, and skywatchers can use the NASA JPL Horizons Database Small-Body Database Lookup to find its precise location at any date.

A Mystery from the Stars

The renewed visibility of Comet 31/ATLAS has reignited debate among astrophysicists. Harvard professor Avi Loeb has speculated that the comet’s non-gravitational acceleration and blue hue might suggest it’s not a natural object. In a recent paper, Loeb proposed that the data could reveal “the technological signature of an internal engine.”