# Comets

# Tsuchinshan–ATLAS / C/2023 A3

#### **Tsuchinshan–ATLAS**

[![IMG_0105.jpeg](https://astro.afonsomuralha.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-08/scaled-1680-/img-0105.jpeg)](https://astro.afonsomuralha.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-08/scaled-1680-/img-0105.jpeg)

> **My only photo of the C/2023 A3 comet -** [Full resolution picture available on Telescopius](https://telescopius.com/pictures/view/203368/comet/m-5/c-2023-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas/by-afonso_muralha?gallery_order=is_featured&gallery_object_search_in_description=false&gallery_object_types=&gallery_filter_type_ids=&gallery_page=1&gallery_user_id=39078#annotated=off)   
> **Details**:  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Date**: 13/Oct/2023  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Exposures**: 1x2.5s exposure  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**ISO**: 1600  
> **Equipment**:  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Camera**: Canon 6D  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Lens**: Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Mount**: Photography Tripod

### **Description**

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, also known as the Great Comet of 2024 and formally designated as C/2023 A3, is a comet from the Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China on 9 January 2023 and independently found by ATLAS South Africa on 22 February 2023. The comet passed perihelion at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million mi) on 27 September 2024, when it became visible to the naked eye.\[7\] Tsuchinshan–ATLAS peaked its brightest magnitude on 9 October, shortly after passing the Sun, with a magnitude of −4.9 per reported observations at the Comet Observation Database (COBS).\[7\]

<p class="callout info">[Find more information about the Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2023_A3_(Tsuchinshan%E2%80%93ATLAS))</p>

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### **Personal Stats**

#### **First observation**

<table class="align-center" id="bkmrk-%F0%9F%93%86-12%2F01%2F2013-%F0%9F%93%8D-los-a" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50%; border-width: 1px; height: 58px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 21.2346%;"></col><col style="width: 78.5185%;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 29px;"><td class="align-center" style="border-width: 1px; height: 29px;">📆

</td><td class="align-center" style="border-width: 1px; height: 29px;">13/08/2023

</td></tr><tr style="height: 29px;"><td style="border-width: 1px; height: 29px; vertical-align: middle;">📍

</td><td class="align-center" style="border-width: 1px; height: 29px;">Torrão, Portugal

</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### **Imaging sessions**

<table class="align-center" id="bkmrk-%C2%A0datebortle-classtot" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 80%; height: 87.5px; border-width: 1px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 86px;"></col><col style="width: 244px;"></col><col style="width: 298px;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 29.5px;"><td class="align-center" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; height: 29.5px; border-width: 1px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Date</span>

</td><td class="align-center" style="height: 29.5px; border-width: 1px;">Bortle Class

</td><td class="align-center" style="height: 29.5px; border-width: 1px;">Total Exposure Time

</td></tr><tr style="height: 29px;"><td class="align-center" style="vertical-align: middle; height: 29px; border-width: 1px;">13/8/2023

</td><td class="align-center" style="vertical-align: middle; height: 29px; border-width: 1px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Class 3</span>

</td><td class="align-center" style="vertical-align: middle; height: 29px; border-width: 1px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 2.5s</span>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

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**Captured media**

#### **Photographs**

[![IMG_0105.jpeg](https://astro.afonsomuralha.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-08/scaled-1680-/img-0105.jpeg)](https://astro.afonsomuralha.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-08/scaled-1680-/img-0105.jpeg)

> **My only photo of the C/2023 A3 comet -** [Full resolution picture available on Telescopius](https://telescopius.com/pictures/view/203368/comet/m-5/c-2023-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas/by-afonso_muralha?gallery_order=is_featured&gallery_object_search_in_description=false&gallery_object_types=&gallery_filter_type_ids=&gallery_page=1&gallery_user_id=39078#annotated=off)   
> **Details**:  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Date**: 13/Oct/2023  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Exposures**: 1x2.5s exposure  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**ISO**: 1600  
> **Equipment**:  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Camera**: Canon 6D  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Lens**: Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD  
> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span>**Mount**: Photography Tripod