In October 2024 I was very lucky to find a clear night and capture this comet. I was late to the party, having missed it when it was visible to the naked eye due to clouds and work, but was elated to find a clear night to capture this image.

Comets are large, icy objects made of dust, rock and ice and orbit and are remnants from the formation of the solar system. When comets orbit close to the sun, it heats up and releases gasses and dust that form a glowing head and tail. They are classed as long-period if their orbits are more than 200 years long. C/2023 A3’s orbit is believed to be 80,000 years long, and it is believed to originate from an area called the Oort Cloud.

Trefor Sea Stacks on the Llyn Peninsula is a beautiful spot, although it can be a bit unnerving walking along the cliff edges in the dark! It was worth it for this image though, with the Milky Way visible- it was a shame the core had set. This image was taken with my Sony a7iv with the Sigma 20mm 1.4 Art lens, and was a selection of 8 second exposures stacked to reduce noise.

Nightscapes