Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) is now visible in the west after Sunset. Dr. Vera Maria Passegger, a support astronomer at Subaru Telescope, took photos from the summit area of Maunakea on October 13, 2024 (Hawai`i local time).
“The comet is very bright and has a broader tail now. The anti-tail is also visible,” Dr. Passegger says. The anti-tail is located opposite of the tail, pointing in the direction of the Sun. It is a trail of dust that was ejected from the comet's surface and that remains in the comet's path. It is only visible for a short time when Earth passes through the orbital plane of the comet.
The comet will be visible until the end of October while getting dimmer and rising higher in the sky.
For more information and photos on Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, please also see here.
Figure 1: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS after Sunset on October 13, 2024. Observatories from left to right: Subaru Telescope, Keck I+II, NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and The Submillimeter Array (SMA) are also in the lower left. (Canon EOS 600D, 30mm, f/4.6, 300s, ISO 400) (Credit: Dr. Vera Maria Passegger/NAOJ)
Figure 2: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS with the Subaru Telescope after Sunset on October 15, 2024. (Canon EOS 600D, 18mm, f/4.0, 330s, ISO 800) (Credit: Dr. Vera Maria Passegger/NAOJ)
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