Tailed Guest of the southern sky: the best images of comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)

The main astronomical event of recent weeks was certainly the visit of comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS). After passing perihelion, it gained enough brightness to be seen with the naked eye at the equator and in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. This was not slowed down by astrophotographers taking several images of the comet. The editors of Universe Space Tech have selected the best of them.

The first photo in our selection was taken by astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky in the Chilean Atacama Desert. This is how C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) looked on January 17.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) in the sky above the Atacama Desert. Source: Yuri Beletsky

The next day, Yuri Beletsky photographed the comet again. It is easy to see how much its tail has increased in just one day.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) in the sky above the Atacama Desert. Source: Yuri Beletsky

And this image, which was also taken on January 18, gives a visual idea of how the comet looked in the sky when it was observed with the naked eye. In the image, it is adjacent to one of the telescopes of the Paranal Observatory.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) in the sky above the Atacama Desert. Source: Yuri Beletsky

Although for obvious reasons the Atacama Desert provides some of the best conditions on our planet for astronomical observations, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) has been photographed in other countries. This image was taken on January 17 in Namibia.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) in the sky of Namibia. Source: Gerald Rhemann und Michael Jäger

A beautiful series of images of the comet was taken by French astrophotographer Luc Perrot on Réunion Island. The first image was taken on January 18.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) over Réunion Island. Source: Luc Perrot

The second picture is from January 19.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) over Réunion Island. Source: Luc Perrot

And this is how /2024 G3 (ATLAS) looked in the sky over Brazil. The image was taken on January 17.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) in the sky over Brazil. Source: Alexandro Mota

In this image, Brazilian astrophotographer Daniel Mello captured himself in front of a comet. The image was taken on January 19.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS). Source: Daniel Mello

During the first few days after perihelion, the comet could also be photographed in the northern hemisphere of the Earth – although this was not an easy task. Nevertheless, Czech astrophotographer Petr Horalek managed to pull it off. The photo shows the comet in the sky above the Tatra Mountains shortly before sunrise.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) over the Tatra Mountains. Source: Petr Horalek

The comet was photographed not only by the inhabitants of our planet. Astronaut Don Pettit, who is on the ISS, took this picture of the tail guest. It was received on January 11 shortly before it passed the perihelion of its orbit.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS): view from the ISS. Source: Don Pettit

And this is how the SOHO observatory, which studies the Sun, saw the tailed guest. Its original image was processed by imposing several filters. The image was taken on January 13 – that is, on the day when the comet passed the perihelion of its orbit.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) during its perihelion passage. Source: NASA/SOHO/LASCO C3
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