Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS won't return for another 80,000 years, but astronomers say it could be visible to the naked eye this weekend

A comet that was last visible from Earth when Neanderthals were alive could be spotted with the naked eye this weekend, scientists have said.

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.