Fourth Night of Comet A3, of Clouds and iPhone

Starlog October19th, 2024, 7:15 p.m. local time

On my fourth consecutive night of photographing Comet A3, this one had by far the worst visibility. A thin layer of clouds was persistent across my West sky. And A3 is gradually dimming each night, presenting a challenge.

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Irrespective of the weather, I had decided earlier that I would attempt imaging with my iPhone instead of DSLR camera. Remarkably, A3 can be seen, though faint and with the smallest tail yet. The comet is now nearly within the constellation Ophiuchus, and I suspect will be easily within its boundaries 24 hours from now.

Below is a fuller and wider view of this article’s header image. You can click on the image for better detail. The comet is obviously circled with the rough partial outline of Ophiuchus to the left. Other partial constellations are visible here, most notably Hercules above and to the right, but I decided not to attempt further outlines due to the cloud interference.

Equipment Used:

• iPhone 14 Pro
• Focal length 7mm
• NightCap app
• f/1.8
• 1.0 sec exposure
• ISO 12768
• Touchups in PaintShop Pro and AfterShot Pro