Stargazers are scanning the skies for the rare chance to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, a comet that will not appear again for many millennia. Chinese astronomers discovered the comet less than two years ago, and it became visible to the naked eye late last month in the southern hemisphere. Now there have been more sightings farther north, from the Pacific Northwest to the UK, as the hurtling ball of rock and ice passes to the other side of the sun.

Peak viewing of this celestial phenomenon began on October 12 when the comet made its closest approach to Earth at roughly 44 million miles. Observers should look to the western sky — relatively low on the horizon and just after sunset — for the best chance to spot Tsuchinshan-ATLAS until it disappears around October 26, not to be seen again without a telescope for 80,000 years.

Despite the excitement surrounding this rare sight, comets have historically been labeled as harbingers of doom and dramatic change. The passage of Halley’s Comet in 1066 was thought to have heralded the Norman conquest of England, and its reappearance in 1910 raised fears that the long gaseous tail would poison millions of people.

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