how to see it from USA or Latin America and record its presence with our iPhone

If we tell you that this month you might see C/2023 A3, you will be a little confused because you probably don’t know what it is. Also if we tell you about Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. Therefore, we will tell you what it is a comet that is already starting to be seen in much of the world and even in USA. It was discovered more than a year and a half ago and experts already know that this October is the time when we will be able to see it more and better.

If you are a fan of celestial bodies, we advise you to pay special attention to them and even try to immortalize it with your iPhone. Because yes, just like we can capture the full moon and eclipses with an iPhone, there is tips for recording the passage of this comet which many are already calling the “comet of the century”. And it all starts with knowing the key dates and locations.

When and where will we see the comet of the century?

Actual photograph of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS taken by Juan Lacruz (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

As we said in the introduction, some observations of this comet have already been recorded in the first days of October. However, it will be from October 9 when it can be best appreciated. And it will be so because that is when it will be closest to Earth’s orbit.

In USA More specifically, it is expected that it will be in the early morning hours of Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13 that we will be able to see them best. However, from the aforementioned October 9, it will be a good time wherever we are, given that it can be seen from any hemisphere.

It will be possible to see with the naked eye at dawn. According to experts, this is the best time, just before sunrise. You won’t need to use a telescope or anything similar.

Experts do not rule out that we miss seeing it

A few months ago, a study was published which led us to consider this comet as the comet of the century or simply as another. He warned against possibility of disintegration before those key dates of October 9-13 arrive.

The comet’s tail keeps growing as it approaches Earth and not because of our planet itself, but because of its proximity to the Sun. However, for now, optimism reigns, as it does not appear to be close to the Sun. disintegration and this process is expected to begin when it reaches Mercury, 58 million kilometers from the royal star and already with temperatures reaching 430º C.

Which apps to use to plan your comet observation

Although we have already seen the dates when this phenomenon will be most visible, there is nothing like having a specialized application to know the best time to see the comet. For this there are several applications and websites, although for this particular case, that of “PhotoPills”which despite its price of 12.99 dollars in the App Store, offers a perfect planner for this type of night photography.

As a free option, it is also available in the App Store ‘Star Walk 2+ Announcements’. This app contains ads and is not specialized in photography, but it is completely free and great for tracking the night sky and getting advanced information.

Tips for capturing the comet from your iPhone

Logically, having professional and dedicated photographic equipment is more practical to capture the passage of the comet with better quality, but if you do not have such equipment, the iPhone can also get you out of trouble. And for this, here are the best tips:

Find a dark place and it’s far from the city. Artificial lights will make photography or video worse, so the less light pollution the better.
Use a tripod this gives stability to the iPhone and helps ensure that the capture you take isn’t ruined by movement. No matter how good our pulse, nothing will be more stable than a tripod.
Use a third-party camera app like Halide Process Zero or BackMagic Camera, because they will offer you additional options such as being able to have a longer exposure time in the case of photography, as well as better focus management if you are making a video.
Lower exposure to prevent starlight from saturating the image too much.
Increases contrast and clarity so that the comet stands out more in the dark sky.
If you take photos, let them be in RAW in order to have a purer photograph which can then be refined in a later edition.
Record in 4K at 60 frames per second in order to have better quality in the video.
Don’t always use the maximum zoombecause it is a digital format and may lose excessive quality. Try to capture the entire trail of the comet with a zoom that allows you to see the rest of the sky.