Hi Larry--
Can you add this information to our RESOURCE page.
We have a Deep Space theme coming up in January 2025.
THANK YOU!
LC
---------- Original Message ----------
Date: 10/02/2024 10:25 AM MDT
Subject: Shooting Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from around the world!
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Last February, two observatories in South Africa and China discovered a new comet that would visit us this year, and they named it Comet A3 Tsuchinschan-ATLAS. This comet completes an orbit around the sun around every 80,000 years, which makes it a very unique event!
We have reasons to be excited as the time has come and, for the first time, it's been visible to the naked eye and possible to capture with standard camera gear!
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Comet A3 Tsuchinschan-ATLAS from the Atacama Desert captured by Yuri Beletsky
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The ATLAS comet (I'll call it the "ATLAS comet" to make ir short as we love everything Atlas-related ;) has been visible with telescopes and special equipment throughout the year. However, it wasn't until a few days ago that the magnitude decreased, and it started being visible to the naked eye and photographable with mid to long lenses.
From around mid-September to now, many photographers from around the world have pointed their lenses at the sky to capture this beautiful phenomenon, but those in the Southern Hemisphere and latitudes near the equator had a preference seat as the comet was more prominent in those latitudes.
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Some of the most spectacular images I've seen include Atacama, Australia, New Zealand, the Canary Islands, Brazil, and Namibia! Below you can see some of my favorites:
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Spectaculat close up of the comet captured from Namibia by G.Rhemann, M.Jäger, and D.Möller
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In the Northern Hemisphere it was very low to the horizon and not as prominent, but I've still seen a couple of images I really liked at relatively lower latitudes like these from Marina Prol and Sean Parker in the Canary Islands and Arizona:
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The last "good day" to capture the comet was this morning. However, don't be disappointed, as the best is (or could be) yet to come!
The ATLAS comet will get closest to Earth on October 12th, and from that date, if it survives the encounter with the sun, it could put on an unforgettable show for the following days!
On top of that, the best locations to see it will be at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere after sunset, which makes it an even more exciting event!
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I was looking forward to trying a shot of the comet over the last days, but I was very busy packing and preparing in Spain for our return to Las Vegas where we are currently flying to.
I'm getting ready now for mid-October as we could enjoy one of the brightest comets and most spectacular astronomical events in a long time!
If you also want to get ready for this, below you can find some tips:
- Plan your comet images using Stellarium and Plan it Pro!
-On Stellarium , you can import the comet by following this tutorial.
-On Plan it Pro, go to map view and tap the leftmost purple square (Stars and star trails), then tap the name of the currently selected object which will open the object selection menu. Select Comets. Select C/2023 A3 from the list. Click < in upper left corner of the screen to return to map view. The comet position will now be displayed in map view and in viewfinder VR.
- For some easy planning, just look at the Western Skies after sunset. The comet will be lower in the horizon from Oct 12 and move higher up in the sky as the days pass.
- Use mid to long focal lengths. You can photograph the comet with a wide-angle, but it'll be unimpressive. To capture the best shots with a landscape, I recommend focal lengths between 50 and 135 mm. For details of the comet, something between 200 and 400 mm.
- You can use a star-tracker, but keep in mind that the sidereal rate movement of the stars is different from the speed/movement of the comet. I'd recommend capturing shorter exposures and stacking them.
- Be careful with the ISO so you can keep all the dynamic range and don't blow out the details of the comet.
- Don't forget to shoot a timelapse if you have an extra camera as it can show the nice movement of the comet in the sky!
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I captured this image of Comet Neowise back in 2020 at the Adirondacks using a 50 mm lens.
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Getting good pictures of a comet is not easy, but it's a spectacular event worth trying!
I've just been able to capture one good comet, the popular NEOWISE, and I can't wait to see how this comet develops and hopefully spending a few nights chasing it across the Southwest!
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Our recently launched Summer Iceland Photo Tours including the Highlands almost sold out and we have a couple of spots left if you want to join the adventure! You can find more information here:
We also have openings on these trips for 2025:
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We are currently running simultaneous tours in Iceland shooting the Norhtern Lights, and in Acadia National Park and the Australian Outback to capture the Milky Way and the stars. Our participants are capturing some stunning images and I can't wait to share them with you!
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Our group in Iceland under the Northern Lights
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Like I mentioned above, Ascen and I are on our way to Las Vegas where we'll spend the next few weeks before our next photo tour in Northern Norway.
I spent the last two months recovering in Spain in Madrid and Almeria in the Andalusian Southern Coast and feel like a completely new person again! It's just amazing what some nice weather, food, company, and shooting can do to heal.
Happy Captures and clear skies!
Dan
PS- You can see the other tours with current openings for 2024/2025 here or in the footer of this email.
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(LAST SPOTS!)
SOLD OUT Photo tours (Waitlist available)
Northern Lights Iceland, Sept 22-30, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Northern Lights Iceland, Sept 24-Oct 2, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Northern Lights Iceland, Oct 1-9, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Northern Lights Iceland, Oct 3-11, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Alps Photo Tour, Oct 17-24, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Alps Photo Tour, Oct 25-Nov 1, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Dolomites Photo Tour, Oct 19-26, 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Acadia astrophotography workshop, Sept 27-Oct 3 (SOLD OUT)
Acadia astrophotography workshop, Oct 3-7 (SOLD OUT)
Finnish Lapland Photo Tour, Jan 24-31, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Death Valley Advanced Astroworkshop Feb 21-25, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Lofoten Photo Tour Feb 18-25, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Lofoten Photo Tour Feb 22 -March 1, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Lofoten Photo Tour Feb 26 - March 5, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Lofoten Photo Tour March 2 - March 9, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Atacama & Bolivia Photo tour March 23 - April 2, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Death Valley & Alabama Hills workshop March 23-29, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Death Valley & Alabama Hills workshop March 30 - April 5, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Utah Astrophotography April 21-27, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Patagonia Hiking April 8-20, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Patagonia Non-Hiking April 11-20, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Monument Valley Astroworkshop May 22-25, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Monument Valley Astroworkshop May 26-29, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Monument Valley Astroworkshop May 30 - June 2, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
La Palma Photo Tour, May 19-26, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Peruvian Andes Photo Tour, July 18-30, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
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Copyright ©2024 CAPTURE THE ATLAS LLC, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Capture the Atlas LLC
2510 East Sunset Road
Suite 5 - 984
Las Vegas, Nevada 89120
United States
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