The latest excitement in the field of amateur astronomy is the arrival of a new comet named C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. It was discovered in China and the name of the observatory where it was discovered means "Purple Mountain." A comet comes into the the inner solar system from way out beyond Pluto. In late September it could be seen under good conditions early in the morning before sunrise, but only for a few days. Then the comet went around the sun, and now is the time to see it after sunset for perhaps two weeks, but it is getting fainter by the day.
So here we are in Venice California visiting Liz and Amy and tonight was the first night that the comet would be visible after sunset. I had some hopes because I would be looking from Venice Beach out over the Pacific ocean where there would less light pollution. So I went to the beach and looked and hoped. I had about given up because it was getting really dark with almost no color left in the sky. And then, scanning the sky with 10x50 binoculars I saw it! So I started shooting and these are two of the best photographs I got. And I am thrilled! I poster larger than normal images so please click on them.
6 comments:
Wow! Awesome! I love the comet with the sunset and the ocean. I know very little about comets, so I appreciate the interesting information about this comet. Stunning photos! Trace
Happy that you were able to see the comet and capture the photo. Cool!
Joan
Since October is not the typical time you travel to California to visit family, I can't help but wonder if the trip was scheduled to coincide with Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas in order to get a nice clear western sky view of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Cool pics - just wondering?
Terrific! Love the top photo with the shades of the sky, sunset and ocean. Your patience paid off because you got 2 great photos!,
I am very happy to report that I was able to see the Comet using my 10x42 binoculars at approximately 7:45pm East Cost Time. A Very Cool Sight Indeed!
Primo! So cool that you got to see the comet yourself! That's great. Keep watching! The comet will be higher each night so you will see it in a darker sky EXCEPT - The moon is growing fuller and that adds more light to the sky and makes the comet harder to see, until the moon wanes.
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