The prospects for comet viewing were not good today. It was cloudy with intermittent rain during the afternoon and the clouds did not seem in a hurry to dissipate as sunset approached. But, dissipate they did (mostly), just in time to find comet C/2023 A3 sinking toward the Bristol Head ridgeline. This time, instead of driving to a remote site, I was able to step out the front door and set up a couple camera mounts.
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| 7:33 pm MDT. Olympus E-M1iii + 12-45mm f/4 pro @ 45 mm. 15 s, ISO 400. |
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| Comet C/2023 A3 on the left, Arcturus on the right. 7:35 pm MDT. 32 mm. |
Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the sky.
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| 7:36 pm MDT. Sony A7iii + Nikon Ai-s 180mm f/2.8ED. 15 s, ISO 1600. |
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| 7:34 pm MDT. Olympus E-M5iii + Rokinon 135mm f/2. 10 s, ISO 400. |
This image appears tilted because the camera was mounted on an equatorial mount with the sensor axis aligned with celestial coordinates rather than the horizon.
The anti-tail is easily visible in this exposure. The anti-tail is a trick of perspective. It is the dust trail left behind in the comet's orbit, seen here edge-on as we pass through the orbital plane.
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