Cosmonaut Vagner snaps photos of once-in-a-lifetime comet

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, September 25. /TASS/. TASS Special Correspondent and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Ivan Vagner has taken photos of a significant astronomical event – the appearance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which is passing by the Earth for the first time in almost 70 years.
“Many astronomers and astrophotographers on Earth are abuzz about the passage of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) across the Solar System. One can see it now in the Southern Hemisphere before dawn. We aboard the International Space Station cannot stay on the sidelines for this unique and remarkable event, so we are trying to capture it in our leisure time. The comet is expected to reach the peak of its brightness in the Northern Hemisphere on October 12. But I already took my first pictures of the comet yesterday,” Vagner said.
It was previously reported that the comet was given a double name due to the fact that it was spotted simultaneously by two teams of stargazers. In the winter of 2023, the comet was first detected via telescope in South Africa, and later by Chinese astronomers. The closer it gets to the Sun, the longer its tail and more colorful the components of its nucleus will be. Its ion tail will be more visible when the comet gets nearer to the Sun. On October 9, the comet will likely be visible during daylight hours.