Shooting Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
It’s mid January 2025 and nature started putting on a truly incredible night show. Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was visible to the naked eye at sunset in the southern hemisphere, the first time in 160,000 years.
I got out two nights to capture this rare event, the first was January 19, a little late to see and capture a crisp image of the comet as it was disintegrating day by day.
The first attempt to capture C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
The air was warm and the mozzies were in abundance, the stars were ablaze, the clouds were breaking, and a sense of anticipation hummed through me as I set up my gear under the vast canvas of the night sky. Tonight, I was on a mission: to capture Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), a celestial visitor gracing our skies with its ethereal presence.
I had a suitable location already planned, a regular location nearby, that gives a mostly uninterrupted 300 degree view of the night sky and away from the glow of Bendigo.
After only 5 min of driving I reached my destination - a long court road surrounding by secluded paddocks.
I already had my camera on my tripod with my 40-140mm 2.8 pro and a 2x teleconverter extending the reach to 300mm. I knew roughly the direction but to pin point it I used Star Walk 2 and sure enough once the cloud moved or the comet got lower on the horizon it appeared clearly visible to the naked eye!
As the comet emerged from behind the clouds, a wave of excitement washed over me. It was a breathtaking sight - glowing golden in the light of the setting sun framed by the silhouette on the horizon and the clouds above.
Most captures were done using manual focus trying to get the sharpest image of the comet I could. Trying different zoom lengths and focusing again, repeating the process with zoom and position trying out slightly different compositions.
There was little time to capture the comet before it dipped below the horizon behind the silhouette of trees with my first capture at 9:39pm just as the comet peaked from behind the clouds through to 9:59pm when only the tail was visible on the horizon.
The second attempt to capture C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
It’s Tuesday the 21st January and I’m at Lake Weeroona after a Bendigo Camera Club meeting and I’ve got the same gear as my first attempt but this time at a different location hoping to maybe capture the comet reflected in the lake. This never occurred as the trees opposite the lake were to high and blocking the view of ATLAS. Ended up moving to the other side of the trees which opened up the sky and provided an interesting foreground of the Bendigo Gas Works that sits alongside the Bendigo Creek.
For this shoot I decided to not use the 2x teleconverter and stick to just the 40-150mm 2.8 pro telephoto lens to allow for a sharper image and for apertures wider than 5.6. This also doubled the field of view so I could fit more or all of the Gas Works in with the comet.
I didn’t do any manual focusing on the comet this time and instead used auto focus to lock on the skeleton of the gas works or the trees nearby. This series of images were captured between 9:36pm and 9:59pm.
As of writing this I came across an article talking about the comet could be disintegrating due the thermal stress. This could be true, the comet is getting softer and wider day by day.
Capturing Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was more than just taking pictures. It was an immersive experience, a communion with the cosmos, a reminder of our place in the grand tapestry of the universe.