A comet that last passed Earth 80,000 years ago, when Neanderthals walked the Earth, will be visible to the naked eye starting Saturday evening. The comet is named Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, and scientists have dubbed it the “comet of the century” due to its brightness and visibility.

Your unusual chance to see a comet in the sky is here. C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered by astronomers in 2023 — and will appear to the naked eye over the next couple weeks.

Here are some of the best pictures of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS taken by photographers from around the UK.

Scientists have said Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which was last visible from Earth when Neanderthals were alive 80,000 years ago, could be spotted with the naked eye from our planet this weekend. First discovered in January 2023,

Scientists said a comet known as the Oort Cloud comet — or C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS — will pass by Earth on Saturday for the first time in 80,000 years.

It has been dubbed "the comet of the century" because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the United Kingdom's Royal Astronomical Society. It was initially discovered in 2023 by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and an ATLAS telescope in South Africa last year.