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Photographer:

Mike Olason

Location of Photo:

Tucson, Arizona

Date/Time of photo:

2025 August 3, 0533UT

Equipment:

50mm f/5 Refractor and IMX462 camera (SeeStar S50)

Description:

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS also known as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) continues to slowly brighten as it moves closer to the Sun and Earth. The comet will reach perihelion in late October when it will also make its closest approach to Earth, but unfortunately for us Earthlings the comet will be behind the Sun at perihelion. Before the comet moves behind the Sun as seen from Earth in October and after the comet reappears from behind the Sun as seen from Earth in November the comet is predicted to be about magnitude 12. Currently in these images the comet is about magnitude 16.5 as it moves about 130,00 mph thru our Solar System. The 65% illuminated Moon was only 17 degrees WSW of the comet in Earth's night sky when these images were collected, thus the color image had a lot of green background color.