Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Chile's Atacama Desert

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Chile's Atacama Desert

Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky: "Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is ablaze! I can hardly believe the spectacle we're witnessing, and it's only improving 🤯 I captured this image on January 18 during twilight at the ESO Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The comet sets later each night, offering exceptional imaging opportunities. Visually, its tail stretches an impressive 10-12 degrees. Therefore, I adjusted the focal length down to 85 mm to capture the full extent."

C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion.

Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

Image Credit: Yuri Beletsky
Yuri's website: 

https://www.instagram.com/yuribeletsky/
Image Date: Jan. 18, 2025 

Location: European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, Chile, South America

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