A comet that will not be seen for another 80,000 years has been snapped by Suffolk photographers.

Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has been called “the comet of the century” because of how rare it is, according to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).

Astronomers say it would have last been visible from Earth when the Neanderthals roamed the earth, and it was only discovered in January 2023.

Shotley Gate in the Babergh district The comet can be seen in the top right hand corner of this picture taken from Shotley Gate in the Babergh district (Image: Shaun Sams) Between October 12 and 30, people are able to see the comet using binoculars, a camera, or even with the naked eye.

Photographer Shaun Sams captured this image of the fast-moving comet in Shotley on Wednesday evening at around 7.30pm. 

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Astronomers say the comet would last have been visible around 80,000 years ago.Astronomers say the comet would last have been visible around 80,000 years ago. (Image: Shaun Sams) Light pollution makes it harder to see the comet so Mr Sams used a 5-second exposure to capture the comet's beauty.

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The Comet A3 passing over Suffolk skies at sunsetThe Comet A3 passing over Suffolk skies at sunset (Image: Hazel Hayward)

Walker Hazel Hayward was also able to capture the comet passing in Bedfield, near Framlingham, in mid-Suffolk at around 7.35pm on Monday.

The comet currently measures about 130,000 miles in diameter and is accompanied by a tail stretching out for some 18 million miles.

Its brightness fades every day as heating from the Sun depletes its material until it breaks up or disappears completely. 

This comes after stargazers were recently blown away by the northern lights display over the Suffolk sky.