Three Days of Comet ATLAS

Capturing the fleeting beauty of Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS over three consecutive evenings (January 16th, 17th, and 18th) from the serene sands west of Ras Madrakah, Oman. These images, taken 24 hours and 1 minute apart to account for the shifting sunset, trace the comet’s journey above a distant promontory dipping into the Indian Ocean. On the 16th, ATLAS was a faint smudge, requiring optical aid. By the 17th, it had ascended higher, becoming briefly visible to the naked eye for six precious minutes. The 18th saw the comet climb further still, though increasingly challenged by the twilight glow, a likely sign of its nucleus beginning to disintegrate. Note how ATLAS rises slightly each day while drifting steadily southward (to the left).