Spectacular! I have never seen a comet with a tail like that! When I spotted the comet in the west-southwest sky, Comet A3 was relatively dim but notable with my eyesight. Thanks to modern camera technology (night mode, to be exact), these images easily depict the comet. The first three images were taken on Wednesday, October 16th after 8 P.M. Eastern Time. The last image with a shorter and compact comet tail was taken on Friday, October 18th after 7 P.M. Did you take photos of Comet A3, otherwise known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? I would love to see your photos if you don't mind! Please consider emailing by clicking the Email tab at above right, then click the large "Email Me!" button. If you don't mind me sharing your photos on this Amazing Astronomy website (or maybe you just want to share with me), please let me know either way. I will be sure to respect your choice and give you credit if you would like to share.
Some facts about this comet: it was visible to the naked eye since September 2024 but now might be visible (but not for long) with a telescope. It was in the constellation Leo then Virgo, Serpens Caput, and Ophiuchus, and now it is likely in the constellation Serpens Cauda. The Oort cloud originating comet was discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing, China in January 2023. The Sutherland Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa spotted the comet a month later in February 2023. The comet later became visible to the naked eye in late September of 2024 and reached its top brightness (-4.9 magnitude) on October 9th. Comet A3 won't return to our Solar System for another 80,000 years or so!
