20/10/2024
After being frustrated by cloud I was beginning to think this once in a lifetime opportunity was about to pass me by. Keeping a close eye on my weather apps I saw the potential opening last night, perhaps my last chance, so I headed out to Maidenhead thicket with all my Astro gear. Capturing Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was a real challenge! With the comet low on the horizon and strong moonlight flooding the sky, it was barely visible, especially in an area with heavy light pollution. Unfortunately, it’s no longer visible to the naked eye, but I managed to photograph it using a long exposure and a tracking mount to keep the comet in focus and stationary relative to my camera as it moved. The conditions made it tough, but it was so worth it to get a glimpse of this celestial traveler before it fades from view entirely!
The first image was shot at 85mm to include some foreground interest and the second at 200mm, both were 10 second exposures, f2.8 ISO 800 (10 captures stacked). Obviously the first is a composite with the foreground captured at the same settings but without the tracker.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
