Rare 80,000-year-old comet illuminates Bengaluru skies in pink and yellow: See pictures

Bengaluru: Residents across the electronic capital of the country have recently been amazed at the clear skies in the city. As pink, green and yellow hues made picturesque dashes across the sky, netizens took to social media to express their astonishment, sparking discussions.

While many thought the beautiful canvas was just another natural phenomenon, in reality, it was a comet that visited the solar system after an 80,000-year hiatus, said astrophotographers. The brilliant skies were caused by the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS), which was spotted on Monday, September 30, reported The Hindu.

The Purple Mountain Observatory in China discovered the comet on January 9, 2023. A month later, after its spotting, the comet was independently observed by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa, from where it derives its name.

‘Comet ran away as it was not local’

One X user shared an image of the vivid skies and asked, “Bengaluru skies being just magical! What is this phenomenon even called?” Another user, citing The Hindu report, elaborated that the skies were pink not because of any ordinary phenomenon but the Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS.

“A comet that came to Bangalore and ran away as it was Not local,” another user posted. Some users further compared the illuminated skies to the Northern Lights – bright swirling curtains of light spotted in the night sky and popularly known as the ‘aurora borealis’.

The Tsuchinshan–ATLAS is a non-periodic comet. Unlike more familiar comets, such as Halley’s Comet, this one is unpredictable in its appearance. Its sighting above Bengaluru provided a rare and exciting opportunity for sky-gazers.

A part of Sextan constellation

According to the Deccan Chronicle, residents of Hyderabad can also catch a glimpse of the comet until Wednesday, October 2.

“The comet is visiting the Solar System after more than 80,000 years. It is approximately 129.6 million kilometres away from Earth, and is currently located in the Sextans constellation,” Deccan Chronicle reported, quoting astrophotographer Upendra Pinnelli, reported DC.

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