Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will reach perihelion — and if it survives its close call with the sun, we may be in for a real treat.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as Comet A3, is making its trip from the outer solar system on its closest approach to Earth. The comet, thought to have an orbit around the sun greater than 80,000 years, will have two different viewing opportunities over the next month.

Although still difficult to see, 2024's best comet is nearing the Sun and getting brighter. Here's how to see it.

The next SCAC monthly meeting will be at the Sechelt Library, Oct. 4. The club AGM will be at 7 p.m. and the public meeting should start by 7:30 p.m. with a lecture by Bryan Elliott from the Vancouver center of the RASC. He will be presenting on the dark skies of Pitcairn Island. Check the club website at: sunshinecoastastronomy.wordpress.com.

A video filmed by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shows a rare glimpse of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as seen from the International Space Station.

A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), discovered in January 2023, is on its way to becoming one of the most remarkable astronomical spectacles of the year. As it approaches its closest points to the Sun and Earth,