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Photographer:

Mike Olason

Location of Photo:

Tucson, Arizona

Date/Time of photo:

2024 September 25, 1241UT

Equipment:

50mm f/3.5 Refractor and ST-402ME CCD Camera

Description:

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has now become visible over the Catalina Mountains east of my home. These images were taken with the comet at an altitude of 8.1 degrees just above the Catalina Mountains when the Sun was 8 degrees below the eastern horizon. The bright twilight has taken all the color out of the comet and its one visible tail in this image. Reports say the comet is about magnitude 3, there are 2 stars barely visible in the image at magnitude 7.7 and 7.9. The one tail visible in this image is about 1/3 degree long at a position angle of 258 degrees from the comet coma. The color image is a composition of RGB images each 2 seconds long with a field of view of 2.2 by 1.5 degrees.