By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-18 11:56:34 | Updated at 2025-01-18 19:24:03
7 hours ago
Hongkongers will have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of a rare comet passing by Earth in the coming week, three months after a similar sighting captivated the city’s stargazers.
The Hong Kong Space Museum said Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) came closest to Earth on Tuesday and was gradually moving away.
“If the weather permits this week, we may have a chance to observe it in the low southwestern sky after sunset,” it said on Friday via social media.
The museum added that it would be difficult to see the comet with the naked eye given the sky was still quite bright at sunset, and recommended residents use telescopes and photography equipment to track the comet.
It said one of its affiliates captured the comet through a four-inch telescope at 6.02pm on Thursday despite the haze, but it disappeared behind the hill a minute later.
“In the coming days after sunset, its elevation will increase slightly, though still remaining quite low,” it said.
