FNQ astronomers get excited for Comet A3 spotted in Cairns

It may be 112.3m kilometres from Earth but a special astronomical event has Far North skywatchers excited about the only comet of 2024 that can be seen with the naked eye.

Local naturalist and photographer Hidetoshi ' Mikey' Kudo captured this amazing image on the Cairns Esplanade on Monday morning. Picture: Hidetoshi ' Mikey' Kudo

It may be 112.3m kilometres from Earth but a special astronomical event has Far North skywatchers excited about the only comet of 2024 that can be seen with the naked eye.

The brightest comet of 2024 was photographed by amateur astronomer Hidetoshi “Mikey” Kudo from the Cairns Esplanade on Monday morning.

Mr Kudo said the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan – ATLAS) on Friday passed its perihelion which means the point in its orbit when it gets closest to the Sun.

Waking up well before dawn on Monday Mr Kudo said he set up his DSLR with a 100mm lens on the Esplanade and looked out toward the Coral Sea.

“And at 4.30 I saw the comet coming up from the horizon,” he said.

“It’s a special comet, the grade is +3 and I used my binoculars eight times (magnification) but it’s possible to see with the naked eyes.

“But you can only see it this week, it’s getting harder to see, next week it’s going to be a bit difficult.

“Early in the morning you can see it for only a short time with the naked eye.”

Comet C2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas is seen over the hills near the village of Aguas Blancas, Lavalleja Department, Uruguay, at dawn on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Mariana SUAREZ / AFP)

The amateur astronomer and birdwatcher said he took about 20 shots and used an app to combine the images.

“There is a way to stack the images into a single photo and that is how you reduce the grain and remove the noise,” he said.

Unless it’s particularly bright, you’ll need much more than a smartphone for comet A3.

The best results will come from using a DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual settings.

Having done its loop around the sun, the Comet A3 will now begin its return journey to the outer solar system, rising above the eastern horizon a few minutes later each morning.

However, between October 3 and October 12, the comet will transit between Earth and the Sun and become mostly obscured by daylight.

The best tactic to capture an image of the comet is to look to the skies just before sunrise and then from October 12 after sunset.

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Originally published as FNQ astronomers get excited for Comet A3 spotted in Cairns