2025年1月，彗星C/2024 G3（ATLAS）将到达近日点。
如果它的运气足够好，没有被太阳摧毁，白天甚至可以用肉眼见到它！
不过，不要抱太大希望。
内容摘自：Starwalk

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will reach perihelion in January 2025.
If it is lucky enough and not destroyed by the sun, it may even be visible to the naked eye during the day!
However, don't get your hopes up.
Content excerpted from: Starwalk

关于 C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星

C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星，2024 年 5 月由 ATLAS 天文观测项目发现，通过其轨道判断，它可能是一颗动态的新彗星，意味着它首次进入太阳系内部。

彗星在近日点时通常最亮，因为它们此时距离太阳最近。而 C/2024 G3 彗星将在 2025 年 1 月 13 日达到近日点，此时处于人马座。在那时，它将比水星更接近太阳，仅 0.094 AU，亮度达到 -4 星等。

这意味着它可能会像 2020 年的著名彗星 NEOWISE 那样肉眼可见，然而，目前天文学家对这种可能性持怀疑态度。

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), discovered by the ATLAS astronomical observation project in May 2024, maybe a dynamic new comet, judging by its orbit. This means it is entering the inner solar system for the first time.

Comets are usually brightest at perihelion when they are closest to the Sun. Comet C/2024 G3 will reach perihelion on January 13, 2025, in the constellation Sagittarius. At that time, it will be closer to the Sun than Mercury, at only 0.094 AU, and shine at magnitude -4.

This means it may be visible to the naked eye like the famous Comet NEOWISE in 2020, however, astronomers are skeptical about this possibility.

C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星名称解释：
· 字母“C”代表非周期彗星。此类彗星要么仅穿过太阳系一次，要么在200多年内绕太阳公转一圈。
· 名称“2024 G3”表明该彗星于2024年4月上半月被发现，是该期间发现的第三颗彗星。
· “ATLAS”是指这一发现是由一项名为“小行星陆地撞击持续报警系统”（ATLAS）的天文调查得出的。

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) Name Explanation:
· The letter "C" stands for non-periodic comets. Such comets either pass through the solar system only once or orbit the sun once in more than 200 years.
· The name "2024 G3" indicates that the comet was discovered in the first half of April 2024 and is the third comet discovered during this period.
· "ATLAS" means that the discovery was made by an astronomical survey called the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Alert System (ATLAS).

但是，C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星可能无法成功经过近日点，这是一颗擦日彗星，将在近日点时极近的经过太阳，很可能会碎裂或完全蒸发。

即便 C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星在近日点幸存下来，此时它的距角（天体和太阳之间的角距离）也只会约为 5 度，这意味着这颗彗星将位于天空中靠近太阳的距离，很难被观测到。

However, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) may not make it to perihelion, a comet that will pass very close to the Sun at perihelion and will likely break up or evaporate completely.

Even if Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) survives perihelion, its epsilon (angular distance between the object and the Sun) will only be about 5 degrees, which means the comet will be very close to the Sun in the sky and difficult to observe.

同时， C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星从北半球很难观测到，在南半球，也需要直到近日点后的大约一周，彗星才会在黑暗的天空中出现，那时彗星也会变暗。我们只能希望这颗彗星能够变得更亮，以至于在白天的天空中都能看到它！

Meanwhile, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will be difficult to see from the Northern Hemisphere, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it will not be visible in dark skies until about a week after perihelion, when it will also be dim. We can only hope that this comet will get brighter enough to be visible in daytime skies!

拍摄 C/2024 G3（ATLAS）彗星

2024 年 12 月 24 日，Martin Mašek 在阿根廷 FRAM 项目的远程望远镜上捕捉到了 C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)，海拔仅 4°（离角 19°）。在他的照片中，我们可以看到一个带尾状物的进化对象，亮度为 8.2。

Martin Mašek captured C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) on a remote telescope of the Argentinian FRAM project at an altitude of only 4° (19° off-angle) on December 24, 2024. In his picture, we can see an evolving object with a tail, with a magnitude of 8.2.

与此同时，该彗星也出现在 SOHO 的 SWAN 摄像机的图像中，这意味着 C/2024 G3 尽管已经比地球更接近太阳，但尚未破裂。
彗星的绝对星等（6.8）将它置于 Bortle 生存限以上，这意味着它有很好的生存机会。
观察 C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) 彗星的条件不会变差，其亮度将继续增加，我们也可以尝试使用Seestar 来追寻彗星的踪迹。

At the same time, the comet also appears in images from SOHO's SWAN camera, which means that C/2024 G3 has not yet broken up despite being closer to the Sun than the Earth.
The comet's absolute magnitude (6.8) puts it above the Bortle survival limit, which means it has a good chance of survival.
The conditions for observing Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will not get worse, and its brightness will continue to increase. We can also try to track the comet using Seestar.

进入 Seestar App ，点击星图，进入天体库，搜索 C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) 彗星，即可看到这颗彗星在当前天空中的位置，但北半球的观测条件不佳，很难观测到它，因此我们期待更多来自于南半球的观察。

Enter the Seestar App, click on the SkyAtlas, enter the Objects, search for Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), and you can see the position of this comet in the current sky. However, the observation conditions in the northern hemisphere are poor and it is difficult to observe it, so we look forward to more observations from the southern hemisphere.

2025年最亮彗星 C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) 即将到来！