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#comet

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Comet G3 ATLAS Setting over a Chilean Hill
* Video Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Muñoz
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250205.ht

Explanation:
Where is Comet ATLAS going? In the featured time-lapse video, the comet is not itself moving very much, but the Earth's rotation makes it appear to be setting over a hill. The Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) sequence was captured with an ordinary camera on January 22 from the Araucanía Region in central Chile. Comet ATLAS has been an impressive site in the evening skies of Earth's Southern Hemisphere over the past few weeks, so bright and awe-inspiring that it may eventually become known as the Great Comet of 2025. Unfortunately, Comet G3 ATLAS is not going anywhere anymore because its central nucleus broke up during its close pass to the Sun last month. Some of the comet's scattered remains of rocks and ice will continue to orbit the Sun, some in nearly the same outward section of the orbit that the comet's nucleus would have taken.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_co
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250126.ht
instagram.com/p/DFdvObFxHO9/?i
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210921.ht
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090909.ht
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
planetary.org/space-images/com
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240811.ht
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

#space#comet#NASA

1/ We have to agree with astronomer David H. Levy here: "Comets are like #cats : they have tails, and they do precisely what they want."

Since you loved the images of #comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) that we shared recently, here are some more, taken from our Paranal Observatory in #Chile. This lovely #BlackAndWhite image was taken by our colleague Juan Beltrán, an engineer at Paranal.

➡️ eso.org/public/images/potw2505

📷 J. Beltrán/ESO

Comet G3 ATLAS Disintegrates
* Image Credit: Lionel Majzik
lionelmajzik.com/en/about

Explanation:
What's happening to Comet G3 ATLAS? After passing near the Sun in mid-January, the head of the comet has become dimmer and dimmer. By late January, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) had become a headless wonder -- even though it continued to show impressive tails after sunset in the skies of Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Pictured are images of Comet G3 ATLAS on successive January nights taken from Río Hurtado, Chile. Clearly, the comet's head is brighter and more centrally condensed on the earlier days (left) than on later days (right). A key reason is likely that the comet's nucleus of ice and rock, at the head's center, has fragmented. Comet G3 ATLAS passed well inside the orbit of planet Mercury when at its solar closest, a distance that where heat destroys many comets. Some of comet G3 ATLAS' scattering remains will continue to orbit the Sun.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2024_G
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250120.ht
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230903.ht
theskylive.com/c2024g3-info

newsweek.com/comet-atlas-disin

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240811.ht
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/
anatomy-of-a-comet.en.jpg
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000808.ht
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010521.ht

science.nasa.gov/mercury/

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern
defcon.social/notifications

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250202.ht

#space#comet#NASA
Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) was the most visible comet to grace the Northern Hemisphere since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. I vaguely remember seeing Hale-Bopp as a kid, so being able to see a naked-eye comet of this magnitude was a real treat. This photo was taken in early July 2020 a couple hours away from home, under dark skies in northeast Oklahoma, USA.

This is a composite of about 30 images that I took using a star-tracker, allowing me to zoom in on the comet and move the camera slowly to keep up with Earth's rotation, enabling a clear image. There are some things I would do differently next time, but it speaks to how bright the comet was that even with my settings dialed back I still ended up with blown-out highlights.

#Comet #Astronomy #Space #Astrophotography
Continued thread

Here is another beautiful image of the departing comet C/2024 G3 taken atop Cerro Pachón, in the foothills of the Chilean Andes, next to 3 NOIRLab-supported telescopes.

1. The Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in the foreground.
2. Gemini South in the far left
3. The upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory in the center of the image.

noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw
Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/C. Corco
#Comet
16/n

Over the last week I've been going out every couple of nights and shooting C/2024 G3 Atlas as it slowly disintegrates after the front fell off.

Here are a couple more of my Dwarf3 shots, along with one from my phone. One is very heavily processed to bring out the side-tails.

20-50 frames of 15s at 80.

Went comet chasing last night, got some great technically good shots. And this one. Which I love.

Taken when the comet was less than one degree above the horizon, as it dived into the sea.

A little cloud just rounds things out.

25*15s@80, Dwarf3, post in Snapseed and Google Photos.

Comet G3 ATLAS over Uruguay
* Image Credit & Copyright: Mauricio Salazar
instagram.com/astropolo_/

Explanation:
Comets can be huge. When far from the Sun, a comet's size usually refers to its hard nucleus of ice and rock, which typically spans a few kilometers -- smaller than even a small moon. When nearing the Sun, however, this nucleus can eject dust and gas and leave a thin tail that can spread to an enormous length -- even greater than the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Pictured, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) sports a tail of sunlight-reflecting dust and glowing gas that spans several times the apparent size of a full moon, appearing even larger on long duration camera images than to the unaided eye. The featured image shows impressive Comet ATLAS over trees and a grass field in Sierras de Mahoma, San Jose, Uruguay about a week ago. After being prominent in the sunset skies of Earth's southern hemisphere, Comet G3 ATLAS is now fading as it moves away from the Sun, making its impressive tails increasingly hard to see.
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241006.ht
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2024_G
astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/*

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151118.ht
cometcampaign.org/files/images
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240907.ht
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160202.ht

theskylive.com/c2024g3-info
esa.int/Science_Exploration/Sp

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250128.ht

A moving story behind a beautiful snapshot of #Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS:

“We took the photograph while we were en route from northern #Chile to Santiago, travelling to attend the first workshop on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Chilean astronomical community at ESO-Vitacura. Little did we know that this journey would present us with a once-in-a-lifetime observational opportunity!

The flight was delayed, and as the plane ascended, the timing coincided perfectly with sunset. By pure coincidence, the window seat in our row was unoccupied, providing us an unobstructed view of the breathtaking landscape below. It was then that we noticed a faint but unmistakable glow in the sky: Comet C/2024 G3 Atlas!

Eager to share this spectacle, we informed the flight attendants, who promptly passed on the news to the pilots. They were as enthusiastic as us, and they made an announcement to the passengers, describing the rare sight visible outside the plane. The pilots dimmed the cabin lights and even turned off the wing lights to enhance visibility, allowing everyone onboard to experience the comet in its full glory.

The cabin was filled with awe as passengers took pictures of the comet. This moment was a testament to how celestial events can bring people together, even at 30,000 feet!”

🥲

Thanks for sharing this wonderful image and story, Virginia Cuomo from the Astronomy Department of La Serena University in Chile and the Chilean Astronomical Society, and Annagrazia Puglisi from the School of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Southampton!

📷 Annagrazia Puglisi