Comet C/2023 A3 above New Zealand: Last chance for Kiwis to see once-in-80,000-year comet

The window is closing for New Zealanders to catch a glimpse of a once-in-a-lifetime comet with the naked eye as it slowly moves away from the sun and its brightness dims.

Comet C/2023 A3 has been gracing our night skies this month, with stargazers seeing it from places as far apart as Piha, the Kaimai Range and Muriwai Beach.

The comet, which has not been seen in our orbit for the past 80,000 years, has been visible in the morning sky from late September.

Astronomers at Auckland’s Stardome Observatory said the comet was moving away from the sun and was decreasing in brightness this week.

“It will likely be your last chance to see the brightest comet in a decade before it fades from view.

“The comet is only just bright enough to see with the naked eye but you’d miss it if you didn’t know what you were looking for.

“Any smartphone with a long exposure or night mode setting will be able to easily photograph the comet in the night sky.”

Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki said the best option for seeing the comet would be to leave the city and its light pollution.

“In Auckland, if you go out to places like Muriwai and Piha, that will give you the best shot.

“We don’t often get bright naked-eye visibility comets. They’re very rare and unpredictable. But this has been the most promising one in several years.

“You’re going to see a really bright planet, which is Venus, and if you look below that to the right, you might see this little fuzzy patch in the sky. That’s the comet,” Aoraki told the Herald.

The comet was likely to have a tail extending from the back, he said.

“It’s not like Halley’s Comet that goes around the sun in 80 years. It has a very long orbit so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see this comet.

“It’s quite rare to see a naked-eye comet so I implore people to go and see it.”

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