Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
Taken by Lionel Majzik on January 11, 2025 @
Tápióbicske, Pest, Hungary
Click photo for larger image
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Camera Used: NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D3300
Exposure Time: 1/8
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO: 200
Date Taken: 2025:01:11 17:26:50
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Details:
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was discovered in April 2024 by T. Linder using the ATLAS project’s 0.5-meter telescope in Chile. It has since been revealed that the comet is traveling on a highly elongated, retrograde orbit originating from the outer regions of the Solar System. On January 13, 2025, it will approach the Sun at a distance of just 0.09 AU (approximately 13.5 million km), classifying it as a sun-grazing comet. Initially, only the boldest predictions suggested it might survive its perihelion, but current estimates indicate it could reach a brightness of around -4 magnitude. However, due to its extremely small elongation (barely a few degrees from the Sun), observing it will be almost impossible, particularly from the Northern Hemisphere.
This challenge motivated me to climb to a local high point in the pre-dawn cold of -5°C, enduring gusts of wind up to 40 km/h. I spent minutes adjusting the camera delicately without gloves, scanning the live view, until I finally spotted the comet relative to Mercury—just 1 degree above the horizon! I had only 5–10 minutes to capture the scene before sunrise. Despite its -1 magnitude brightness, the comet was invisible to the naked eye, overwhelmed by the reddish glow of the sky.
I knew this would be the first and last time I observed it with my equipment, as better skies wouldn’t be available in the following 2–3 days. Now, I can only hope the comet successfully survives its perihelion so those in the Southern Hemisphere can marvel at it too. The harsh conditions and biting cold made witnessing Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) even more special, turning it into one of the most memorable comet observations of my life.
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Technical details:
Date: 11 Jan, 2025 05:44 UT
Location: Tápióbicske, Pest, Hungary
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR
Mount: WDF-4
Focal ratio, length: f/5, 185 mm
3 x 1/8 sec
ISO: 200
Processing: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom
Photographer's website:
https://www.lionelmajzik.com
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