Chasing The Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
2
Minutes
Success!!!
After a few failed attempts because of the stubborn clouds in my area, on October 14 I was finally able to image Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) with my DSLR camera.
The comet briefly emerged from behind the clouds that had obscured it from my sight for several days. It was definitely worth the wait!
I acquired those images with my DSLR camera (Nikon D5300), a 200mm lens, 2 seconds exposure, aperture F/5.6, ISO800.
The first image is an unprocessed image of the comet, while to obtain the second one I stacked a total of 31 images with Deep Sky Stacker and post-processed it with GIMP.
I couldn’t see the comet with the naked eye, but on the screen of my camera it was very bright and with a very long tail (a few degrees).
Next time, weather permitting, I will try to use a star tracker and get some more details of this elusive visitor.
Catch it while you can: this bright comet won’t return for 80,000 years!
Setup
Date: 2024-10-14
Location: My backyard in Richmond Hill, ON
Camera: Nikon D5300 on a tripod and a remote shutter
Location: My backyard in Richmond Hill, ON
Camera: Nikon D5300 on a tripod and a remote shutter
Software: Deep Sky Stacker, PixInsight, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GIMP
Total integration time: 62 seconds (31×2 secs.)
Exposure time: 2 secs.
Total integration time: 62 seconds (31×2 secs.)
Exposure time: 2 secs.
ISO: 800
F-stop: F/5.6
