How to see a once-in-a-lifetime comet Saturday and beyond

When and where to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
The intrigue: The comet was first discovered in 2023 by observers at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System(ATLAS) telescope in South Africa, NASA said.

Zoom in: Bill Cooke, lead of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, told NPR the comet will appear low on the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset each day starting Saturday, Oct. 12, through the end of the month.

The comet is expected to fade the week before Halloween or around Halloween, Cooke said, noting it depends on how bright it is.

How to see the rare comet
What we're watching: The comet should be bright enough to see with the naked eye, though binoculars and telescopes should give a better view.

"Comets look OK to the unaided eye, but with a pair of binoculars, they'll knock your socks off," Cooke told NPR.