China's Astronomical Observatory Finds New Comet
JAKARTA - A celestial body recently discovered by the Chinese observatory has been confirmed as a comet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Astronomers at the Gunung Ungu Observatory (Purple Mountain Observatory) under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) first saw the comet on January 5, 2025.
The Center for Minor Planet IAU confirmed the discovery on Thursday, January 16, 2025, and named the object C/2025 A3 (Tsuchinshan).
This marks the discovery of the ninth comet made by the astronomical observatory located in Nanjing, the capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.
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The closest distance between comet and the Sun is 5.7 astronomical units (AU), while the furthest distance is 14.9 AU. One AU is the distance from the Sun to Earth, which is nearly 150 million kilometers.
C/2025 A3 orbits between Jupiter and Neptune, with an orbital period of more than 33 years.
This comet is expected to reach the perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, in May 2026.
Despite these estimates, the orbit of this comet will remain beyond Jupiter's orbit, the observatory said on its WeChat account.