The bright dot to the right of the centre in the orange band is the Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS). (source: Courtesy of Petr Horálek)
On Monday, NASA chose another picture taken in Slovakia for its Astronomy Picture of the Day. Taken by Czech astrophotographer Petr Horálek on early Sunday morning near the town of Tornaľa, southcentral Slovakia, it shows Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) shining so bright that it was visible during sunrise.
"I took the picture yesterday near the village of Gemer near Tornaľa, where I was nervously chasing a place with clearer skies. I travelled more than 300 kilometres to obtain it. The comet is very difficult to observe with the naked eye due to the brightness of the dawn, but cameras - if they are pointed in the right direction - will capture it," said Horálek in a press release.
Today, the comet's path brings it closest to the Sun, around 14 million kilometres away from the star. For context, Mercury orbits the Sun at a distance ranging from 46,000,000 to 70,000,000 kilometres.
The comet's close path makes it survival questionable as it will be strongly heated. According to the astrophotographer, there is hope that the comet will survive its pass - some data suggest that it has fragmented and will be destroyed - and remain bright enough to be seen with the naked eye in the next few days, and possibly with a good camera even later.
NASA's Astronomy Picture of Day for January 13 shows the Comet C/2024 G4 (ATLAS). (source: Courtesy of Petr Horálek)
