Hopes dim for another bright October comet after Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

Comet ATLAS was discovered on Sept. 27 in Hawaii by the Asteroid Terrestrial -impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) project.

The newfound object is a Kreutz sungrazer, a family of comets that have been among the most brilliant ever observed.

At its maximum length, Ikeya-Seki's tail extended for 70 million miles , ranking it as the fourth -largest ever recorded.

Comet ATLAS has been slow to brighten as it approaches the sun.

The last Kreutz Sungrazer to become bright was Comet Lovejoy in 2011 .

Some observers have suggested that it has dimmed slightly in recent days , and that its nucleus has even split into two pieces.

Joe Rao is Space.com 's skywatching columnist, as well as a veteran meteorologist and eclipse chaser who also serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium . He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. Joe is an 8 -time Emmy-nominated meteorologist who served the Putnam Valley region of New York for over 21 years . You can find him on Twitter and YouTube tracking lunar and solar eclipses, meteor showers and more. To find out Joe 's latest project, visit him on Twitter ..