Terry Lovejoy
@cometguy.bsky.social
IT Systems Admin and Team Lead
Would be House Renovator
Dabbler of Photography
Like Mountain walks
Amateur Astronomer & Comet Discoverer
Would be House Renovator
Dabbler of Photography
Like Mountain walks
Amateur Astronomer & Comet Discoverer
Darker skies, meant I could get a much deeper image of the new comet. This is a 5 x 5 degree crop. Sep 14 9hrs UT.
September 15, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Darker skies, meant I could get a much deeper image of the new comet. This is a 5 x 5 degree crop. Sep 14 9hrs UT.
The new comet from home. This is September 13 8:47, 2025 UT. I've cropped it 4 x 4 degrees and I've marked the bright star Spica and Mars. The uneven sky background is a unfortunate consequence of strong light pollution from home.
September 14, 2025 at 9:54 AM
The new comet from home. This is September 13 8:47, 2025 UT. I've cropped it 4 x 4 degrees and I've marked the bright star Spica and Mars. The uneven sky background is a unfortunate consequence of strong light pollution from home.
How did a comet this bright go undetected until today? This is 3 x 1 degree crop from an image stack I made tonight (Sep 12 8:40 UT) from my balcony.
September 12, 2025 at 12:17 PM
How did a comet this bright go undetected until today? This is 3 x 1 degree crop from an image stack I made tonight (Sep 12 8:40 UT) from my balcony.
Here is some more images from Cordoba.
September 11, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Here is some more images from Cordoba.
Big thanks to Andrew and Perth Observatory! Hope they don't me posting the April 24, 1917, image which I help clean up so they could plate solve it.
September 11, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Big thanks to Andrew and Perth Observatory! Hope they don't me posting the April 24, 1917, image which I help clean up so they could plate solve it.
G. P. Bond is credited with taking the first ever photograph of a comet. Comet C/1858 L1 (Donati) on Sep 28, 1858.
August 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
G. P. Bond is credited with taking the first ever photograph of a comet. Comet C/1858 L1 (Donati) on Sep 28, 1858.
I think it was close to 10km round trip and just under 1000m vertical climb. I chose not to go all the way to the summit which would have added another 3.5km and 350m vertical. You can see why here -->
August 30, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I think it was close to 10km round trip and just under 1000m vertical climb. I chose not to go all the way to the summit which would have added another 3.5km and 350m vertical. You can see why here -->
Andrew Pearce has been doing a fantastic job at doing comet photometry from scans of old plates taken from Perth Observatory. He sent through this image of C/1970 N1 from July 8, 1970, when he obtained m1=10.4 with a coma of 2.2'.
July 4, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Andrew Pearce has been doing a fantastic job at doing comet photometry from scans of old plates taken from Perth Observatory. He sent through this image of C/1970 N1 from July 8, 1970, when he obtained m1=10.4 with a coma of 2.2'.
Lovely day for a walk today, joined by a couple of friendly goats!
June 18, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Lovely day for a walk today, joined by a couple of friendly goats!
My most memorable observation of C/1990 K1 (Levy) from Sep 15.44, 1990 UT.
May 25, 2025 at 5:58 AM
My most memorable observation of C/1990 K1 (Levy) from Sep 15.44, 1990 UT.
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) Jan 13.715, 2025 UT- Processed from images courtesy of SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). An RGB image was created by mapping the color channels to images acquired with different filters using SOHO's LASCO C3 camera.
January 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) Jan 13.715, 2025 UT- Processed from images courtesy of SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). An RGB image was created by mapping the color channels to images acquired with different filters using SOHO's LASCO C3 camera.
Didn't think I would get a view of G3 this morning due to low cloud, but when I checked back around 4:25am there it was in 10x42 binoculars an obvious comet with starlike coma. No magnitude estimate possible, but comparison of images with yesterday suggests m1=1.0.
January 7, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Didn't think I would get a view of G3 this morning due to low cloud, but when I checked back around 4:25am there it was in 10x42 binoculars an obvious comet with starlike coma. No magnitude estimate possible, but comparison of images with yesterday suggests m1=1.0.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) still very obvious in binoculars at mag 1.5. This mornings view Jan 6 18:10 UT with a 318mm f5.8 lens and Olympus em1.2.
January 7, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) still very obvious in binoculars at mag 1.5. This mornings view Jan 6 18:10 UT with a 318mm f5.8 lens and Olympus em1.2.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) photographed using an iphone? Sure.
January 6, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) photographed using an iphone? Sure.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) now close to mag 1.5. From T75 Chile on Jan 5.
January 5, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) now close to mag 1.5. From T75 Chile on Jan 5.
Brighter again tonight (2025 Jan 4.37 UT) at mag 1.9. This was made using the T75 25cm reflector at iTelescope's Chile facility.
January 4, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Brighter again tonight (2025 Jan 4.37 UT) at mag 1.9. This was made using the T75 25cm reflector at iTelescope's Chile facility.
Jan 3, 2025. Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) brighter still. Mag 2 this morning and clearly visible in 10x42 Binoculars (but not with naked eye). This view was from near Dalby, QLD.
January 4, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Jan 3, 2025. Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) brighter still. Mag 2 this morning and clearly visible in 10x42 Binoculars (but not with naked eye). This view was from near Dalby, QLD.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) has brightened a magnitude in just 24 hours. Here it is Jan 2.75 UT at mag 3.7. This is tightly cropped 2 x 2 degree FOV. Quite easy to see in my 10-22x50mm Nikon binoculars.
January 3, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) has brightened a magnitude in just 24 hours. Here it is Jan 2.75 UT at mag 3.7. This is tightly cropped 2 x 2 degree FOV. Quite easy to see in my 10-22x50mm Nikon binoculars.
C/2024 G3 peaking past some cloud on Dec 31 from Cleveland Pt, Queensland.
January 1, 2025 at 9:44 PM
C/2024 G3 peaking past some cloud on Dec 31 from Cleveland Pt, Queensland.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) still brightening nicely. Remotely imaged from iTelescope's Chile location on Jan 1. This is a 0.5x0.5 degree FOV.
January 1, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) still brightening nicely. Remotely imaged from iTelescope's Chile location on Jan 1. This is a 0.5x0.5 degree FOV.
Comet C/2024 G3 (upper right) and crescent moon together Dec 29. Single 10sec exposure from Chile (iTelescope) using a 135mm FL f3.5 lens. Comet is looking very healthy.
December 29, 2024 at 12:29 PM
Comet C/2024 G3 (upper right) and crescent moon together Dec 29. Single 10sec exposure from Chile (iTelescope) using a 135mm FL f3.5 lens. Comet is looking very healthy.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) on December 23.74 UT from Cleveland Pt, QLD, Australia. Now mag 6.5 :)
December 24, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) on December 23.74 UT from Cleveland Pt, QLD, Australia. Now mag 6.5 :)
Comet C/2024 G3, with a tripod mounted 135mm lens. Here is my image this morning (Dec 21.74, 2024 UT) rising over Moreton Bay near Brisbane. Image is cropped to 8x8 degrees. 3 x 2.5sec exposures at 135mmF1.8.
December 22, 2024 at 2:26 AM
Comet C/2024 G3, with a tripod mounted 135mm lens. Here is my image this morning (Dec 21.74, 2024 UT) rising over Moreton Bay near Brisbane. Image is cropped to 8x8 degrees. 3 x 2.5sec exposures at 135mmF1.8.