This October has been an amazing time to see the cosmic scale on display. Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS passed through, giving us multiple viewing opportunities each night after sunset. It was here some 80,000 years ago, and “the most current calculations from NASA’s Solar System Dynamics group show that it is on a hyperbolic path, meaning that it will not return.”

Click the images above to see them larger.

The beginning of the third week of the month was best, with some striking observations made possible with a short exposure time. Each night the viewing has been a little more difficult, and the tail a little shorter, so it may be beyond easy spotting very soon. It’s worth it, though. Once in a lifetime event here, folx.

I’ve gone out each night just to put my eyes on this ancient thing. Perspective is a quality that exhorts and propels the human heart. Seeing our conflicts and passions in the light of cosmic time and distance offers us the chance for true reflection.