Before sunrise on Sunday, 29 September 2024, I drove out Mt Lemmon Road on the southeast side of Oracle to try to photograph Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3). I had last observed and photographed this comet in the 12" telescope on 2 June 2024 when it was faint and had a very short tail. I arrived at my selected observation point at 0410 MST. This location provided a good view to the east. The comet would rise about 0457 MST. Sunrise was to be at 0617 MST.

0515 MST: After using 7x50 binoculars and taking some photographs, I managed to see the comet with my naked eyes. The head and a very short tail were briefly visible. The Moon and brightening morning twilight sky did not help viewing.

I took the following D850 DSLR photographs (cropped) of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3).

0514 MST: Crescent Moon & Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
f/3.5, 10 seconds, ISO 1600, FL 24mm


0521 MST: Crescent Moon & Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
f/3.5, 5 seconds, ISO 800, FL 48mm

Click or tap on images for larger versions

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