Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: new images – 13 Oct. 2024.
Here it is comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, now at its full glory. Despite the clouds, the vision was amazing and we are pleased to share a couple of images.
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: 13 Oct. 2024.
The image above comes from the average combination of 5, 30-second exposures, remotely taken with the Samyang 135+Paramount ME+ZWO ASI 6200MC Pro robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project facility in Manciano, Italy, under the darkest skies of the Italian peninsula. The telescope tracked at the motion rates of the comet. The object was at 5.5 degrees of altitude above the W horizon, with the Sun only 8 deg. below it, during twilight. An airplane and a few satellite crossed the field of view.
Despite the unfavorable conditions (clouds, in particular), the comet looked dramatic, with a more than 7.5 degrees long, structured tail.
Below is a close-up image, captured with the ARTEC250+Paramount ME+C3Pro61000EC robotic unit also available at our facility in Manciano, Italy. It comes from the average combination of 10, 3-second exposure, with no calibration. The comet was very low on the horizon, with clouds, but we recorded evident dust shells in the inner coma. We applied a rotational gradient and performed wavelet analysis to extract those features in the inserts on the bottom right.
C/2023 A3 Tsichinshan-ATLAS. 13 Oct. 2024.
It s interesting to compare images collected during our follow-up activities since the comet was discovered.
Comet C/2023 A3 was discovered on 9 Jan. 2023. Since it was announced, this icy world showed the potentially to reach naked eye visibility late in Sept. 2024, with chances to be remarkable around Oct. 9. At the moment, the comet is putting on a stunning show in the evening sky.
We will continue following up this promising comet.
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