The Great Comet of 2024

aka: Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS
Formal Designation: C/2023 A3

24MP

First discovered in early 2023 by the Purple Mountain (Tsuchinshan) Observatory in China.

The Aurora Australis is visible, as well as the faint glow of Earth’s atmosphere. The comet is actually ≈50 million miles in the distance, farther than Mars.

I almost never select photos that are obscured by ISS hardware, but this is the sharpest photo among hundreds. Be sure to zoom in. In this case, somehow, I think the hardware adds perspective and realism to an other-worldly view.

This photo was taken while the ISS was over the far-south Pacific. It was surprisingly close to Point Nemo, the spot farthest from any land on Earth.

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