Turkish astrophotographers on watch for once-in-a-lifetime comet

Turkish astrophotographers in the northern city of Kastamonu are on the watch to capture a rare celestial event — Comet C/2023 A3 — visible to the naked eye for the first time in 80,000 years.

The comet, discovered last year, has been eagerly awaited by skywatchers and is now gracing the Turkish skies, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for stargazers.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), with an orbital period of approximately 80,000 years, can currently be observed with binoculars and telescopes in the early morning hours just before sunrise.

Starting from Oct. 4, it will also be visible to the naked eye, but only for a few days before it gets too close to the Sun, making it difficult to see without specialized equipment.

"We've been out here night after night, watching the skies," said astrophotographer Murat Helvacıoğlu, who, along with a fellow enthusiast Sinan Kendirci, has set up in Kastamonu's Sarpacı village.

The two photographers, determined to capture the rare phenomenon, have been using high-resolution cameras and long-exposure techniques to track the comet in the early morning hours, avoiding light pollution in the remote village.

Helvacıoğlu explained that comets are fragments of rock orbiting the Sun. "When these fragments approach the Sun, they emit dust and gas, which form the tails we see," he said.

Comet C/2023 A3 is a non-periodic comet. Therefore, it has a long orbit of 80,000 years. It normally comes from outside the solar system, circles around the Sun and then is blown away by the gravitational pull of the Sun.

The comet, while faint to the naked eye, is clearly visible with binoculars and will be even more spectacular through telescopes.

"Using telescopes and long...