The brightest comet of the last decade flew over Ukraine (photo).

In the evening of October 13, a bright comet ATLAS flew over Ukraine. This is the brightest comet in the last 13 years. This is reported by Space.

Many social media users saw the comet over different cities of Ukraine, including over Chornomorsk in the Odesa region.

This comet, Zijinshan-Atlas C/2023 A3, belongs to short-period comets. It returns approximately every 107 years, so it is expected to reappear in the Solar System around the year 2131. The comet was discovered as part of the ATLAS project (Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System), and is named after the observatory and project that studied it.

The diameter of the comet is about 1.5 kilometers, and its nucleus, composed of ice and dust, allows it to glow when approaching the Sun. Due to the heating from the Sun, water evaporates from the nucleus, forming a bright cometary coma.

Polar auroras and other phenomena in the sky

Let's recall that on October 10, polar auroras were visible in many regions of Ukraine. This was caused by a powerful solar flare on October 8.

Also, near the "Akademik Vernadsky" station, Ukrainian polar researchers spotted the southern auroras for the second Time this year.

At the same station, scientists also recorded a rare natural phenomenon - a clear night sky in Antarctica, allowing the observation of a large Moon.