Discovered in January 2023, the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) seems to be promising bright comet of 2024 (and very likely one of the brightest of last decades). I was also lucky to see this one with about 1-kilometer-sized nucleus, which can be considered as not so big, but also not that small among other known comets. Its path nearby the Sun (with perihelion of 27th September 2024) and the Earth then (with perigee on 12th October 2024) brought several truly unusual moments in the sky.
29th September 2024
This morning I succeeded with photography of the Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS from the Czech Republic (50 degrees north) again. Comet brightens rapidly and its tail can be captured even against the bright dawn. This shot, taken near Velke Popovice, is a crop from 200mm telephoto lens shot, however with binoculars the comet was majestic too. Cannot wait for next days, this might be something truly big! Canon Ra, Tamron 70-200mm (200mm), f2.8, ISO 100, 25×1,6s; tracked on Vixen Polarie U.
Cometrise over Velke Popovice
25th September 2024
Can you find the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)? In this extreme HDR of this morning dusk, I revealed it from data taken near Kovářov, Czech Republic (yes, 49,8 N). Even if almost invisible, the tail is enhanced from 15 exposures (15x1s, ISO 200). Comet was completely invisible to the naked eyes, or binoculars, during taking this shot it was 2-3 degrees over the horizon after the end of astronomical twilight. Used Canon Ra, Tamron 70-200mm@200mm. The foreground is taken as HDR (1, 4, and 8 seconds, ISO 100). Truly challenging, but officially can confirm it IS possible to capture it from the northern hemisphere, even if with advanced processing to reveal it. I believe the next days should be better and better.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) on 25 September 2024 from Kovarov, Czech Republic (cut with comet)
4th May 2024
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is slowly approaching the Sun from the far reaches of the Solar System. The so far inconspicuous cometary beauty only shows a conspicuous dusty tail in larger telescopes as it flies through the eastern half of the constellation Virgo. But everything will change (or could change) this fall, when this particular comet may reach high brightness and become the brightest comet in decades. Fingers crossed! This image I took yesterday on a 200mm telephoto lens from Záhořice, Czech Republic.
Little Big Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
The image is from yesterday (May 4, around 22 UTC), captured with Canon Ra and Tamron 200mm, f2.8, ISO 4000, 17x2mins on EQ-5 mount. Still not for smaller telephoto lenses, but getting more and more beautiful. I would like to thank Radim Strycharski for his support during this observation.
