Stargazers across Massachusetts captured photos this week of an extremely rare comet, last visible from Earth about 80,000 years ago, as it streaked across the sky.
Henry Lanouette and his wife Kathy went into their backyard in Longmeadow with a pair of binoculars and searched for the ancient comet together.
“It was very exciting to be able to see it. We had been hearing so much about it on the news,” Lanouette said. ”We have seen Starlink [satelitte] trains so this was another one of those special events for us.”
The comet was last visible from Earth when Neanderthals roamed the Earth around 80,000 years ago, according to NASA.
Due to its proximity to Earth, the comet will be visible to the naked eye until Oct. 24, astronomers say.
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“To be able to see this comet with the unaided eye is an rare opportunity, especially for something that may not return for over 80,000 years,” said Brigitte Gil,who saw the comet in Westport. “Looking up at the night sky is my favorite reminder that we’re only a small part of a much bigger thing.”
The comet, called Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, is the brightest since comet NEOWISE passed by in 2020, seen with the naked eye even in city centers and areas with light pollution. Not only is this year’s comet brighter, it’s also rarer, as comet NEOWISE is expected to return in a mere 6,800 years.
On Tuesday night, Steve Butler headed to Mashnee Island in Bourne shortly after dusk. Under a beautiful clear sky, he found a great view of the western horizon and used a portable telescope to track the comet.
“The comet is pretty awe-inspiring to see. The fact that it has been circling the solar system for over 80,000 years until its return to orbit the sun is truly amazing,” Butler said. “It does make me realize how small we all really are in a universe that is constantly giving us some amazing surprises.”
Seeing the comet was nostalgic for Justin Murray, who gazed upon Comet Hale-Bopp aroun 1996 with his father when he was 5.
Some 28 years later, Murray found himself chasing a comet once again on Route 56 in Leicester.
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“I saw one family where the kids were struggling to see it, so I invited them over to check out my camera and they just loved how clearly I could zoom in so they could see it,” Murray said. “It reminded me of how my father got me excited about Hale-Bopp and I am glad I was able to pass that excitement along.”
The comet reached peak brightness during its closest approach to Earth on Saturday, passing within approximately 44 million miles, according to NASA.
Michael Ren caught the comet at its peak from Great Blue Hill in the Blue Hills Reservation after sunset on Saturday. Despite the urban lights, the comet’s tail was still clearly visible across the night sky, a sight he won’t soon forget.
“Every now and then I think about all the events that I missed out on because I was too young, or events I won’t be around to see. I think of the people who were fortunate enough to witness them, even if they didn’t know how remarkable they were,” Ren said Wednesday.
The comet was first identified in 2023 by China’s Tsuchinshan—or “Purple Mountain”—Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa, according to NASA.
The astronomical visitor disappeared earlier this year but was spotted again last month in the southern hemisphere and has since been visible in the northern hemisphere, NASA said. It will rise higher in the sky each evening, making it easier to observe, but will also become progressively fainter until the end of October, NASA said.
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Chiquita Laurita saw the comet Saturday night on Plum Island. From the historic solar eclipse in April to the northern lights making an appearance last week, this year has been full of remarkable celestial events, she said.
“What makes this comet sighting so special is that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing of this particular comet, and I can’t wait to see what else we will find out in our universe,” Laurita said.
The comet comes from the Oort cloud, a giant spherical shell surrounding our solar system, that is “like a big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris,” according to NASA.
“Like the other celestial wonders we’ve been treated to in New England this year, yesterday left me awestruck at the mix of the known and the unknown,” said Timothy Carter who saw the comet Tuesday night from Lexington. “I drove home thinking... ‘thank you universe.’”
Erik Fraser scoped out the comet on Oct. 12 when it was at its peak visibility. He went to the Prospect Hill lookout in Harvard, Mass., and caught a stunning sight as the sun was setting.
“It was amazing to witness and capture this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ comet,” Fraser said.
Girish Joshi also happened to be on Prospect Hill that same night, searching the sky for the celestial body. He said seeing the comet that once graced Earth many millenniums ago made him feel more connected to the planet and its history.
“The last time this comet appeared in the night sky, I’m sure Neanderthals must have watched it in awe,” Joshi said. “After 80,000 years, we witnessed it with the same excitement as our frosty friend is making its journey back to the Oort cloud.”
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To see the comet, people should let their eyes adjust to the dark and take a look along the western horizon shortly after sunset, astronomers said. And be patient.
“Stay out as long as possible — it will be setting as you watch it, but it will also become darker. That benefits the observer in two ways. One, the object will be more apparent. And two, your eyes will have become more adjusted to the dark,” said Tim Brothers, manager of the MIT Wallace Astrophysical Observatory.
Wednesday night’s most ideal time to view the comet is 45 minutes after sunset, according to Forbes’ comet tracker. The comet will be visible above the western horizon and set around two hours later.
Wayne Collamore, who viewed the comet Saturday from Phinney’s Harbor in Monument Beach and Bourne Bridge, said the sight was “awesome and humbling at the same time.”
“Each event is unique and observing them is an experience unlike any other,” he said.
Sabrina Lam can be reached at sabrina.lam@globe.com.