Celestial Visitor C/2023 A3 (Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

            This is a photo of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) taken on October 14th, 2024 (details below). Despite thin clouds, the nucleus was visible about 45 minutes after sunset, about halfway between Venus (bright star at lower left) and Arcturus. Then after about 30 minutes, it was clearly visible with the unaided eye and magnificent through binoculars.
Discovered in early 2023, Comet A3 made a fine appearance in Earth’s skies in October 2024. Dubbed as “the comet of the century”, I think it should instead be called the most photographed comet of all times. 
Originating in the distant Oort cloud, where billions of small, icy bodies, relics of the solar system's formation abound, it travelled towards the Sun and the Earth, starting its journey towards the inner solar system thousands of years ago. 
As the Sun's heat slowly but steadily warmed its icy surface, mixed with rocks and dust, the icy crust began to sublimate and gases and dust particles started to form an atmosphere around its nucleus. The steady flow of the solar wind shaped the dust and gas into a long tail, extending for millions of miles into space, opposite to the direction of the Sun. But at the time this photo was taken, an anti-tail pointing to the sun also formed, an optical illusion from dust left to drift in the comet’s orbit, reflecting sunlight towards us. 
At its maximum brightness, the comet was relatively easy to spot with unaided eye and fabulous with binoculars. It remained visible for some time but it is now below naked-eye visibility limit. Recent calculations suggest it might have an open (hyperbolic orbit) that will eventually send it away from our solar system and that it will never return. Let’s hope another bright one is on course to the inner solar system.

Wishing everyone health and clear skies!

Photo Details:
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Camera: Canon EOS 6D, mounted on tripod, unguided.
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II@f2.5
Light Frames: 20 x 5 secs each, ISO 640.
Processing: Developed in Lightroom Classic, stacked with Sequator and final processing in Adobe Photoshop

   

Taken in: Greece / Central Macedonia / Thermaikos / Káto Karampournoú (show map)

Taken on: October 14, 2024

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Camera: Canon EOS 6D, f/2.5, 100 sec, 50mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 6D
Lens:	EF50mm f/1.8 II
Aperture:	f/2.5
Exposure Time:	100
Focal Length:	50mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 14.0.1 (Windows)
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