Starlog October20th, 2024, 7:34 p.m. local time
There is a saying that you need to know when to retire. This can apply to comet viewing as well. I decided after tonight’s session that it was time to call my time with Comet A3 as complete.
Through binoculars, A3 looked like a gray smudge barely with a tale. It made me recall how the Andromeda Galaxy looks through binoculars. Fortunately, my iPhone on a 10-second exposure was able to capture a little more of the comet’s full shape.
I am glad I spent a solid five sessions with A3; it revitalized my somewhat dormant astrophotography, forcing me to get back into a groove that I hope will propel me back to photographing the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and upcoming Mars.
And so I said goodbye to the comet, glancing at it through my binoculars a final few minutes. But this will not be my final A3 article.
Here is my last wide view via NightCap with Comet A3. By this night, A3 was now within the bounds of the constellation Ophiuchus.
Equipment Used:
- iPhone 14 Pro
- Focal length 7mm
- NightCap app
- f/1.8
- 10 sec exposure
- ISO 12768
- Touchups in PaintShop Pro and AfterShot Pro
Seems to be fading. I had difficulty spotting it in binoculars last night.