'Halloween comet' set to shoot through the night sky may be doomed

Brits hoping to catch a glimpse of a bright orange and ultra rare “comet” this month may have had their plans foiled.

, also known as Tsuchinshan-Atlas, is an incredibly rare space phenomenon, only passing by planet every 80,000 years. The rock, made up of ancient ice, is a whopping 30,000 miles in diameter, with a tail measuring more than 18 million miles long.

Stargazers were previously told that the comet, which is larger than , should be bright enough to see with the naked eye on Tuesday, and that visibility would gradually reduce each day going forward.

But Dr Qicheng Zhang, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, has now warned space enthusiasts that the rock may not be visible at all. Dr Zhang told Forbes: “There’s just as good a chance it falls apart before its close encounter with the sun on October 28, and that would result in virtually nothing being visible afterward in November."

According to astronomerstelegram.org, it is also "possible that strong vaporization of a large amount of gas occurred which, together with the tidal or rotational forces acting on the comet's nucleus may have led to its fragmentation."

Not all hope is lost though, as Brits were previously told they had between 12 and 30 October to see the comet using binoculars, or even with the naked eye. It is considered to be "the comet of the century" because of how bright and visible it could be when it passes Earth, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.

Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the comet is visible in the early evening skies looking westwards. "Low on the horizon at sunset, it is best to wait a while for the sky to darken a bit before trying to see it. Look to the west, just to the left of where the sunset was and, if you are lucky, it should be just about visible to the unaided eye,” he said.

"However, as it is rapidly fading as the days go on, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will certainly help if you are struggling to find it. It is visible across the country, though a low western horizon is a must, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to be out in the countryside where light pollution is less of a problem."