Another New Comet For Halloween!?
Only a few weeks after Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS put on a dazzling show, another comet is headed for a close encounter with the Sun and may become a special celestial sight. Reported to be visible as early as October 28, 2024, The New York Post says that the Halloween Comet “may become bright enough to see during the daytime.” As a result, the Farmers’ Almanac has been flooded with inquiries as to when and where to see it. Here is everything you need to know about this sungrazer comet, courtesy of our expert astronomer Joe Rao.
When Was The New Comet Discovered?
Discovered on September 27 in Hawaii by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) project, the object was initially catalogued as an asteroid, “A11bP7I.” But shortly after, observations verified that this faint object was indeed a comet and not an asteroid. Excitement began when its orbit was derived, determining it would become a “sungrazer.”
Quite unlike Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which “held its distance” and never got any closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury, the Halloween Comet is destined to get more than one hundred times closer to the Sun. As a result, it will be subjected to temperatures of a million degrees Fahrenheit, tremendous gravitational, and tidal forces which could rip it apart. Jump to when and where to look.
Sungrazer Comets
In the distant past, perhaps one thousand years ago, it is believed that one single giant comet fragmented into countless pieces of different sizes. Over time, these pieces broke up even more as they orbited the Sun (every 500-800 years or so), swinging extremely close, coming less than one million miles away—practically grazing its surface. That’s why they’re called “sungrazing comets.”
In 1888, astronomer Heinrich Kreutz (1854-1907) noted that these sungrazing comets all follow along in a similar orbit. This special group of comets are named the Kreutz sungrazers, in honor of his work.
Two of these sungrazers (in 1843 and 1882) not only developed very long tails but also achieved the rare distinction of having been bright enough to be seen in broad daylight with the unaided eye.
With this background in mind, the Halloween Comet suddenly broke onto the scene about three weeks ago. Orbital calculations showed that it was destined to indeed “graze” the Sun’s surface (the photosphere), on Monday, October 28, coming to within 341,000 miles.
Ikeya-Seki Reprise?
Back in October 1965, another Kreutz sungrazer, Comet Ikeya-Seki, become so brilliant that at its peak it reportedly became “10 times brighter than the full Moon” and was visible even in the daytime, merely by blocking the Sun with a hand or behind a building.
In the days following its sweep around the Sun, Ikeya-Seki was a spectacular sight in the late October and early November morning skies. An incredibly brilliant, twisted tail stretched up from the east-southeast horizon an hour or two before the Sun, appearing like a slender searchlight beam, about as long as the length of the Big Dipper.
At its maximum length, Ikeya-Seki’s tail extended for 70 million miles, ranking it as the fourth largest ever recorded. Only the Great Comets of 1680, 1811 and 1843 had tails stretching farther into space. While the comet’s head faded rapidly, the tail continued to be visible well into November even as the comet moved rapidly away from the Sun.
Since the Halloween Comet was moving in a very similar orbit and would be also moving around the Sun just a week later in the calendar compared to Ikeya-Seki’s 1965 performance, many arbitrarily assumed that we were in for another spectacular comet show this year at the end of October into November. Sadly, these forecasts appear to be overly optimistic.
Keep Expectations Low
Based on latest observations from the Comet Observation Database (COBS), the so-called Halloween Comet has been excruciatingly slow to brighten as it approaches the Sun. Latest estimates place it at a star magnitude of only +10, or about 40 times dimmer than the faintest star visible with the naked eye.
In recent days, it has even shown signs that it’s fading, not brightening. Some observers even suggested that its nucleus has broken apart. That break-up was apparently confirmed on October 9, by The Astronomer’s Telegram.
In a way, the excitement around the Halloween Comet reminds us of the story told annually in the Peanuts comic strip, about “The Great Pumpkin.” In that story, Linus believes that on Halloween night, The Great Pumpkin will rise out the pumpkin patch, delivering toys to those who believe in him. (Watch the video clip here.) Of course, The Great Pumpkin never appears, leaving Linus, disappointed. Similarly, as you read these words, the great Halloween Comet is in the process of disintegrating.
And, so it would appear that those who believe they will get a view before sunrise on Halloween morning of “The Great Halloween Comet 2024,” like Linus, will almost certainly be disappointed.
A headless comet?
However, there might still be something to see early on Halloween morning or during the opening days of November. It brings to mind the spooky Halloween tale of the Headless Horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, a mythical rider on horseback who is missing his head.
As it turns out, according to astronomer Qicheng Zhang of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory, the Halloween comet “has almost certainly disintegrated,” adding, “there’s probably not much left of its primary core.” That having been said, it now seems likely that even under the best of circumstances, this newcomer—after coming within a hair of the Sun on Monday can only hope to present itself as a short-lived disembodied tail after it closely sweeps around the Sun. That is, if any remnant is left at all. A headless comet is not unique. In January 1887, The Great Southern Comet appeared and was seemingly all tail and no head.
Then, in December 2011, Comet Lovejoy, another Kreutz sungrazing comet, disintegrated just before Christmas, leaving in its wake a bright tail that was seen both from the ground as well as the International Space Station.
When and where to look
Want to try to see the Halloween Comet or—better yet, the Headless Comet—for yourself? On Halloween morning, about an hour before sunrise, look toward the east-southeast horizon. See if you can catch what in essence should resemble a faintly glowing airplane contrail stretching upward and tilted toward the right. Scanning the horizon with binoculars will certainly help. The tail of the Halloween Comet should be visible until November 6, 2024.
If you come away seeing nothing, at least you were provided a disclaimer courtesy of the Farmers’ Almanac—which is more than what Linus got for waiting for The Great Pumpkin!
Join The Discussion
Have you ever seen a sungrazer comet?
Are you excited to see the Halloween Comet, headless or not?
What is one of your favorite things about astronomy and space?
Let us know in the comments below!
Joe Rao
Joe Rao is an esteemed astronomer who writes for Space.com, Sky & Telescope, and Natural History Magazine. Mr. Rao is a regular contributor to the Farmers' Almanacand serves as an associate lecturer for the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
I remember as a kid looking for and to see it, woooow. Eclipse of the sun and seeing it while using Kodak negatives to do so. I should check in to see if our Big telescope might have a night time viewing on what’s happening in space. Aloha from Honolulu HI
I hope they have viewings for you!