“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.”
While most astronomers dismiss the alien spacecraft theory, the comet’s unusual characteristics continue to intrigue scientists and the public alike.
