Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS can be seen from Nishinomiya. The photos are arranged in chronological order, with the newest ones toward the bottom of the article.
(Information provided by Ryuryu-san)
Apparently, it was seen from the observation deck at Kannoji Temple, in the western sky around 6 p.m. This photo is from a previous first sunrise of the year.
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 25-1 Kabutoyamacho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
I didn’t know about Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, so here’s a quick explanation.
- Discovered in 2023, this comet was jointly discovered by China’s Purple Mountain Observatory and the U.S. ATLAS project. It takes about 80,000 years to complete one orbit around the sun.
- The name comes from its discoverers, combining “Tsuchinshan” and “ATLAS.”Source
- The best viewing period in Japan is mid-October. It should be especially easy to see in the western sky in the evening from October 16 onward. But since the weather is bad, tomorrow, 10/13, may be the last chance〜Source
- Its brightness is around magnitude 2 to 4. It’s easier to observe with binoculars, a telescope, or a camera with a telephoto lens.Source
- Its feature is a long, extended comet tail. You might even be able to see it with the naked eye. If it’s cloudy, you’re out of luck〜
- Closest approach is about 70 million kilometers from Earth. That’s roughly the distance to Venus. For reference, Halley’s Comet was apparently about 24 million kilometers away at its closest approach.
(All photos were taken by Ryuryu-san)
You can see the tail!! It’s unmistakably a comet!
- Around one hour after sunset
- An open western sky
The chance to observe it in Kansai is probably only until tomorrow. Give it a try, and if you get a good photo, send it to us on Nishi2’s LINE〜
Everyone’s Photos Taken on 10/13
So, here are photos taken on 10/13 by volunteer Nishi2 readers〜
From Joe-san. Taken from Mt. Kabuto. Apparently, when they borrowed binoculars from the person who spotted it, it looked crystal clear. Then they pressed the shutter on their own smartphone, and it showed up in the photo! Amazing!
From Nobinobikko-san. The location was Kotoen, around 18:27. They sent this in, saying they managed to take it by attaching binoculars to a tripod and then holding a smartphone up to the binoculars〜. You can really tell how bright the tip is.
From Poporon-san. A little after 6 p.m. Taken from Koshienhama. They thought it might not work, but apparently they could see it with the naked eye too! However, it was visible for only a little under 30 minutes. It seems a smartphone could capture it pretty clearly〜. (They said the exposure was about 5 seconds!)
From Tentai Show Suki-san. Around 18:07. Based on the information from the 12th, they found Comet ATLAS with binoculars around 6 p.m. at Mt. Kabuto and Kannoji Temple. Because it was hazy, it was hard to see with the naked eye, and they checked with a comet app while imagining it would be close to the horizon. They almost gave up, but since the information said around 6 p.m., they kept observing and were able to see it once it had gotten fairly dark. It was a little below Venus’s position? and had moved to the right, in a spot almost due west. Even after finding it, it was still hard to see with the naked eye. They edited the image for us!! Apparently it wasn’t visible at 17:53!
Everyone’s Photos Taken on 10/14
Apparently it was visible on October 14 too〜!
From Koshienhama, again from Poporon-san, following yesterday. Amazingly, today, 10/13, it was even easier to see!
Zoomed in↓
They said it was higher in the sky and easier to see. It looks like lots of people came to watch too〜.
You might still be able to see it!
This photo is from Ryuryu-san, who sent it in on the first day and gave us the idea to write this article. The location was apparently along the long downhill road heading toward Koyoen from near the Seven-Eleven Nishinomiya Uegahara Jubancho store. Even without the comet, the view is really nice〜
That tail is almost too perfect! Together with the night view, it looks great〜
It may be cloudy from tomorrow, so we might not be able to see it. But hopefully it’ll be clear like today!
The next photo is also so Nishinomiya
