THE “comet of the century” according to BBC News, was captured on film above Lyme Regis last week by local photographer James Jones, before it vanishes for 80,000 more years.
James, who started his photography journey just under two years ago – driven by a long-standing desire to capture all the things he loves in life, including astronomy, had been closely following the news about Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).
He knew there was a "promising opportunity" to see it with the naked eye, given the right conditions, and after weeks of less-than-ideal weather, he was hoping for a clear night to take the shot.
Luckily, on Thursday, October 17, James got his big break with the weather conditions that night being described as “ideal”.
James said: “I made my way down to Charmouth, knowing it offered a good view to the west, with minimal light pollution.
“I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the comet above Lyme Regis—just barely visible to the naked eye, though the brightness of the supermoon made it faint.”
Comet A3, with its 80,000-year orbit around the Sun, truly represents a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Now on its way back to the outer reaches of our solar system, this may have been one of the last opportunities to witness it.
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