During late September and the first few days of October, you can find Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas in the constellation Sextans. Look to the east, where the comet will rise about an hour before the Sun if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. If you’re in a Southern Hemisphere, the comet will rise a bit earlier and be easier to see.
For most of early October, Tsuchinshan-Atlas will be too close to the Sun to be easily visible. Then, starting around Oct. 10 — if all goes well — the comet should be visible after sunset near the horizon in the west. With every passing day, Tsuchinshan-Atlas will start the evening higher in the sky and be easier to spot, unless it gets too dim.
Where can I watch Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas?
Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is currently visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres at night, though it’s a bit easier to spot the farther south you are. When the comet reappears in mid-October, the situation will flip, and observers farther north will be better positioned to see the comet. Someone in Australia or South Africa, for example, might expect to have a harder time finding Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas than someone in India or Central America.
You will likely need binoculars to see Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, and a telescope with a wide field of view might be even better. Be sure to go somewhere with a good view out to the horizon, since the comet will not appear very high up in the sky. And if you live somewhere with intense light pollution, like the heart of a major city, you will probably have to travel to a darker location farther from lights.