Comet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS)
Taken by José J. Chambó on April 12, 2026 @
Utah Desert Observatory, USA
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Comet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS), imaged on April 12, 2026 at about magnitude 6, was already showing a fully developed morphology despite its low altitude above the horizon.
This image was acquired using a remote telescope under the skies of Utah, offering access to state-of-the-art instrumentation far beyond the limitations of a modest setup and a light-polluted sky at home. That said, this kind of setup comes with its own challenges: bright comets are usually found close to the Sun when they peak, which keeps them frustratingly low during observing windows.
In this case, I had to wait until the comet reached about 15° altitude, already well into nautical twilight. With the sky significantly brightened, the session was reduced to the bare minimum: a single 120-second luminance frame to capture structure, along with three 60-second RGB frames for color.
Even so, the comet delivered a stunning appearance in the constellation Pegasus. A long, narrow ion tail extends well over 4°, running beyond the field of view. Along it, rich structural detail is visible throughout: a fan of jets close to the head, a dominant and nearly straight main streamer through the central region, and further out what is likely the most striking feature—a clear tail disconnection event, drifting behind the comet like a shed skin. Toward the far end, the structure becomes more diffuse, breaking into intricate, cloud-like filaments.
Sometimes you don’t need a perfect night or hours of integration—just being there at the right moment, even on the edge of dawn, and making every second count. The rest is up to the comet.
C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS) @ 2026-Apr-12, 12:00 UT
Takahashi FSQ106 ED f/5, SBIG STX 16803. L=1x120s RGB=1x60s, FOV=233x131'(crop), N:Up E:Left. UDO, Utah (USA). J. Chambó
Photographer's website:
https://cometografia.es
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