It's been an unbelievable aurora season, but if you look to the west, you'll see a "chalk streak" across the sky. That's Comet Tschuchinshan-ATLAS, otherwise known as Comet T.A.
The comet is visible this month between 7:20 and 8:00pm as it tracks its way around the sun. Bob King uses Venus as a reference point; about 2.5 fists to the upper right of Venus, or about half the length of the constellation Orion.
The best time to see the comet may be after the full Hunter's Moon, which is another celestial event itself to look for. This will be our closest full moon of the year, rising at sunset over Lake Superior on the 17th and 18th.
Then, as moonrise occurs later, we'll have a window of dark sky on October 20 to view Comet T.A. Although it is slowly fading, full darkness could prove for some spectacular viewing. It's been four years since there's been a comet in our sky this easy to see.
You can hear Astro Bob's Backyard Astronomy every other Tuesday at 8:20am on Northland Morning.
