These photos from around the world are some of the best we've seen of Comet C/2023 A3 so far.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) displays prominent trails of ions and dust in this photograph taken on the morning of September 30 from Tivoli Farm in Namibia. Credit: Gerald Rhemann
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has not disappointed, and now we have the images to prove it.
The comet, formally known as C/2023 A3, was first discovered in January 2023 by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China's Jiangsu province. (The name Tsuchinshan comes from an older transliteration of Zijinshan, the Chinese word for Purple Mountain.)
Since then, it has been making its way into the interior of the solar system, reaching its closest point to the Sun (or perihelion) on September 27.
In the coming days, the comet will enter conjunction with the Sun, meaning it will be lost in the glow of our star. But it will re-emerge as a nocturnal object in mid-October, around the same time it makes its closest approach to Earth on October 12.
The following photographs were taken when Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was at or near perihelion on or shortly before September 27. Send your photos to readergallery@astronomy.comand we will add our favorite shots to this story.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) shows prominent trails of dust and ions in this photograph taken on the morning of September 30. The camera used a 12-inch telescope and LRGB exposures of 200, 100, 100, and 100 seconds. respectively. Credit: Gerald RhemannRhemann also sent in this view from his observatory at Farm Tivoli, where he took the above photo. Credit: Gerald RhemannThe tail of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS extends more than 4° in this 10-second exposure taken on September 27 from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The photographer used a Nikon D750 with ISO 3200 and a 70mm f/2.8 lens. Credit: Allen HwangThe tail of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS streaks across the sky over Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands on September 28. The photographer used a Canon 6D and a 50mm lens at f/2.2 and ISO 3200 to take a 2.5 second exposure. Credit: Javier Falcón QuintanaComet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS appears over the crest of the Diablo Range, as seen on September 28 from Lick Observatory in California. The photographer captured the comet with a 10-second tracked exposure at ISO 100 with an astromodified Nikon mirrorless camera and a 200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. The close-up is a separate 25 second exposure. Credit: Abhijit PatilA ketch anchored outside Syracuse on the Sicilian coast on September 29 serves as the foreground for this shot of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS taken with a 6-second tracked exposure with a Nikon mirrorless camera at ISO 500 and a 350 mm and f/8 zoom lens. Credit: Máximo Tamajo
The comet rises above the horizon just before orbital dawn amid swirling auroras and satellites.
Timelapse composed of 1/4 second, 50mm, f1.2, ISP 6400 images played back at 30 fps. pic.twitter.com/mdb8KpzlAo
The comet is getting brighter!! 😱 September 29. I just captured an image of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from the Atacama Desert, Chile 🇨🇱✨. The tail is so long that it barely fits in the field of view of a 135mm lens. It's so awesome!! The view was absolutely… pic.twitter.com/763xs83xaD
This morning I captured another image of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from the @LCOAstro site in the Atacama Desert, Chile 🇨🇱✨😱. The view was absolutely stunning! The comet is clearly visible visually. My equipment: Nikon D810a camera with 135mm lens. Exhibition: 20 x 30… pic.twitter.com/lieSFHEP1W
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is finally here! ☄️✨I captured this image this morning at 09:22 UTC from @LCOAstro in the Atacama Desert in Chile 🇨🇱 The view was absolutely spectacular! The clouds were constantly moving just above the horizon, but we were very lucky when… pic.twitter.com/AoClHkatFr
