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I'm not an astronomer...BUT...I do know a bit about comets so here's my take on why you might want to get excited about Comet ATLAS (otherwise known as C/2019 Y4), even if you know nothing about stargazing 1/n
Comet ATLAS could be really bright in the sky by the end of April. When we say bright, it could be as bright as Venus, which even my 3y/o can often spot with no trouble. I say 'could' because comets are well-known to be a bit unpredictable...more on this in a second 2/n
Some are saying Comet ATLAS could rival the 'Great Comet of 1843' that developed into a very bright comet with a really long tail. And I mean long long long. It was 2 astronomical units long, meaning it was twice the distance of the Earth to the Sun! 3/n
Comet ATLAS might get brighter in May...but only if it survives its encounter with the Sun as it swings by at perihelion (the point when the comet is closest to the Sun) before heading back out into deep space again and past Earth for a second time 4/n
Also, if you read anything about Comet ATLAS hitting Earth then ignore it, obvs, because it won't. It's going to pass us at about 72 million miles, which is about half the distance from us to the Sun 5/n
What I like abt Comet ATLAS is its relation to the current #CoronavirusPandemic because, historically, comets have been seen as 'harbingers of doom', being blamed (wrongly) for plagues, wars + deaths all over the place. In the past some might've blamed the comet for the virus 6/n
However, I say there's always 2 sides to every coin and that, instead, maybe comets represent the good and not the evil. So, maybe Comet ATLAS marks an end to #CoronavirusPandemic? I live in hope but either way, we hopefully get to view a beautiful comet whilst we #StayAtHome 7/n
Why aren't astronomers sure how Comet ATLAS will behave? Comets are often likened to cats...long tails and unpredictable (get it? 
). The problem is that we don't know enough about what's in comets to predict how they will react to the Sun's heat as they approach 8/n
). The problem is that we don't know enough about what's in comets to predict how they will react to the Sun's heat as they approach 8/n
Comet ATLAS has been steadily brightening as it makes its journey from deep space in towards the Sun, so things are looking good at the moment. Let's keep an eye on it and hopefully we can get a glimpse of this 4.6 billion year of piece of Solar System very soon 9/9
