With only a 30 minute window between sunset and its disappearance behind the trees, I managed to get this image of the comet.
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan.ATLAS) is a comet from the Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China on 9 January 2023 and independently found by ATLAS South Africa on 22 February 2023. The comet passed perihelion at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million mi) on 27 September 2024, when it became visible to the naked eye.
Between now and the end of October, look west just after sunset and you might be able to see it. It will get higher and higher in the sky with each day, but also dimmer and dimmer. So your best bet is to do it now before it gets any dimmer.
Until next time, clear skies and I'll see you in the dark! Join the Crew and let me know what's on your mind. Support the Mission to gain access to all of my raw astro-imaging data! All content copyright 2026 by AstropotaMedia.com.
Pixel sizes (and why they matter) October 10, 2024 Northern Lights