There are many advantages to working on the International Space Station, as you can witness special events such as the appearance of a comet, such as the recent comet C/2023 A3 (Tsochenshan-Atlas), which astronauts were able to see with their own eyes.
The comet was discovered in the Oort Cloud in 2023, and is getting closer and closer to the Sun, so it is getting brighter, but it can still only be seen as a blurry dot from Earth. However, it is even more spectacular in space, as astronaut Matthew Dominick witnessed. Produce a beautiful video of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas as it rises out of Earth's shadow..
The video was shot with a 200mm f2 lens and exposed for 1/8 second from the space station's glass dome window. On September 27, the comet will fly by at a distance of 58.6 million kilometers from the Sun, where it will be at its brightest and most visible from Earth.
Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas looks like a vague star to the naked eye as you look through the dome windows so far. But with a 200mm f2 lens and an exposure of 1/8 second, you can really start to see it. This comet will take some great pictures as it gets closer to the Sun. Right now? pic.twitter.com/JstaSLJ4Ui
– Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) September 19, 2024