Kirsty and I first got to see Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) on 18 January.
Once the sun had set we walked down to Edwards Beach cliff top and started hunting for the comet. It took a little while for the sky to darken enough for us to see it without binoculars, but as the night progressed it got better and better!
Over the next few weeks it will get higher in the sky, so it will be above the horizon for longer after dark, but it will also fade as it travels further from the sun. The next week is going to be the best chance we have to see it without a telescope.
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) from Red Bluff, Sandringham, Victoria. These were taken using a Canon 450D, and a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lens, between 9:45 and 9:55pm, Saturday 18 January. Exposures for the first four photos in the sequence below varied from 1 second to 3.2 seconds, with ISO varying between 800 and 1600. Easily naked eye tonight, but the camera was able to see more detail than I could as the comet sank into the murk above the horizon.
I was back at Edwards Beach cliff top, Sandringham, Victoria on the 19th to take some more photos of the comet. Photos 5 to 8 are from 9:52 - 9:55pm. The comet was easily visible from around 9:36 until 10pm. There were a few more people out tonight to get a glimpse.
On January 21 Richard Jones and I were back at Edward Beach cliff top. Photos 9 to 14 show that the comet is getting more diffuse, but has a much longer tail. It is visible for quite a bit longer. Apparently the head is breaking up, so there is every chance that it will become much harder to see soon.
The photos below are in chronological order.
