There was an opportunity to photograph the Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in recent days. The comet was briefly visible in the eastern morning sky just before dawn. I had set my alarm for 4 am, but when I looked outside it was cloudy. The next morning was also forecast to be cloudy, so I didn’t even look outside. But on the first of October conditions were a lot better. I walked to nearby Marrickville Park, where I hoped I would get a good view of the sky near the eastern horizon. Would I be able to spot the comet in the light pollution of Sydney?
It was easy to spot the comet. I could not see it with the naked eye, but I could with binoculars. It also was visible in the screen on the back of the camera. The time was about 4:30 am.
Some photographic details – 135 mm, f1.8, 1.3 seconds, 400 to 800 ISO.
And here is an iPhone photo – the comet is visible.
For the next period, the comet will be lost to the twilight, as it passes close to the Sun, and then mid October it will hopefully be visible as an evening object. If it survives going close to the Sun, it may be even brighter.
To get the rough location of the comet, I use Stellarium, and use the solar system editor to add the orbital elements for the comet.