Comet streaks through night sky over Summer Palace

The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas streaks through the night sky over the Summer Palace in Beijing, Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered in 2023, identified by observers at China's Tsuchinshan, or "Purple Mountain" Observatory, and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa, thus, it was officially named in honor of both observatories.

It has come within approximately 70 million kilometers (44 million miles) of Earth since Saturday. Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere would get more opportunities to catch a glimpse of it till Oct. 26.

The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas streaks through the night sky over the Summer Palace in Beijing, Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas streaks through the night sky over the Summer Palace in Beijing, Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)