The rare comet may only be visible for a time in 160,000 years

A bright comet could be seen in skies around the world in the coming days for the first time in 160,000 years.

Nasa said the future brightness of a comet is “extremely difficult” to predict, but comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) may be bright enough to see with the naked eye.

On Monday, the comet was at perihelion, the point at which it is closest to the Sun, which affects how bright it appears. Experts say it can be seen from Monday night.

Although the exact locations of the possible visibility are unknown, experts believe that the comet, which can be as bright as Venus, can be observed from the southern hemisphere.

The comet was spotted last year by NASA’s Earth Impact Asteroid Final Alert System.

Dr. Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London, said, “current orbital estimates suggest it will pass about 8.3 million miles from the Sun,” which qualifies it as a “circular” comet.

The university described the comet as a once-in-160,000-year event.

Dr Balaji said the chances of seeing the comet could be “days around perihelion”, depending on local conditions and the behavior of the comet.

“As with all comets, its visibility and brightness can be unpredictable,” he added.

Mr Balaji said people living in the southern hemisphere – where comets are expected to be best observed – should “look towards the eastern horizon before sunrise, (and) after perihelion, try the western horizon after sunset”.

But Mr Balaji added that while it is expected to be “quite bright”, predictions about the comet’s brightness are “significantly uncertain”, with many turning out to be fainter than initially predicted.

For the Northern Hemisphere – including the UK – the comet’s relativity to the Sun can be difficult to see.

You can check it BBC Weather online to see if the sky is clear enough to see where you are possible.

Mr. Balaji advised people who want to see the comet to find a place away from light pollution and use binoculars or a small telescope.

He warned observers to be careful at sunrise and sunset, and said to track the comet’s position to find where it might appear in the sky.

Meanwhile, astronomers follow the comet’s path.

On Saturday, NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a photo of the comet from the International Space Station on social media.

“Absolutely amazing to see a comet from orbit. Atlas C2024-G3 is paying us a visit,” he wrote.