Comet appearing again Monday night at sunset

What a month for staring at the night sky.

Last week the northern lights weaved ribbons of green and red through the dark.

This past weekend, and again Monday evening, a comet that last passed by earth 80,000 years ago is expected to appear to be chasing the setting sun in the western sky.

For those who want to see it, the National Weather Service in Spokane advises to get out tonight just after sunset. And don’t be late. A safe bet is by 6:45 p.m. Be patient and the comet will become visible – clouds permitting – with the naked eye. Binoculars help viewers see the 18-million-mile tail of the rock and ice. By 7:30 p.m., it’s likely too late.

“It won’t be very cloudy tonight,” said NWS meteorologist Laurie Nisbet, adding that is likely to change by Tuesday night.

The comet is called Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. It was discovered last year at the Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) Observatory in China and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) in South Africa.

According to NASA, the comet raced from the outer edge of the solar system and made its closest run by the sun on Sept. 27. On Saturday it made it closest pass of Earth at about 44 million miles away.

Most of the excellent pictures of the comet are being taken with telephoto lenses on cameras mounted on tripods to eliminate shaking.

Nisbett said after Monday night, comet viewing gets tricky.

Tuesday is expected to be cloudy leading to a chance of rain on Wednesday. More rain could fall on Thursday and Friday as a low pressure system moves into the Inland Northwest.

With the change in weather comes a change in temperatures, too.

“Say goodbye to 70s,” she said.