October 1, 2024 ~ Lucy Ann Lance talks with Jeffery "Buddy" Stark, Planetarium Manager, University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. October 2024 will be an active month for astronomers, marked by the discovery of a new comet named Choocheechung Atlas, which has an orbital period of around 80,000 years. Comets like this often originate from distant regions such as the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. As they approach the sun, they develop tails due to solar wind breaking off pieces of the comet. These tails can contribute to meteor showers, such as the Orionid meteor shower peaking on October 20th. The comet is expected to be visible to the naked eye starting around October 12th, shortly after sunset for about a week.