Best Astrophotos Of The Week: Last Captures Of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, Thor’s Helmet Nebula, And More [22-28 October]

During the week of 22-28 October, we were treated to an amazing display of celestial wonders, with the main attraction being the beautiful Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in our night sky. You can still observe the Comet well during its close approach to Earth, from mid-October to early November. However, these are some of the last days to glimpse this striking comet, as its visibility will wane after this period.

This collection also features other remarkable astrophotos of various nebulae and galaxies. Join us in enjoying the wonders of the cosmos with this week’s collection of the best astrophotos! All captions are original, so you can feel the passion and creativity of the astrophotographers behind each image.

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas In France

We are obsessed with the beauty of this capture of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas! An amateur astronomer, Astro Yo, shared it on his Facebook page.

“C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas on the evening of 27 October 2024 at the B92 Observatory in Chinon,” he wrote.

The B92 Observatory in Chinon, France, is dedicated to public education and outreach in astronomy. Its observational facilities and low light pollution provide an excellent environment for enthusiasts to view celestial events, including the Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.

Luc Perrot took one more astrophoto of the comet in Île de la Réunion, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean. This image shows a stunning Milky Way galaxy with a comet. The Milky Way is creates the background, displaying dark dust lanes and bright star clouds across the centre of the image. The contrast between the comet and the densely packed stars and the Milky Way creates a captivating scene!

“Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS! It still has a lot of beauty left in it,” Luc Perrot commented on his X page.

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas In The U.S.

Another stunning capture of the comet with a night sky with lots of stars in the background belongs to an astrophotographer based in Florida, U.S.

“I captured my first comet! After enduring two hurricanes and a month of nonstop storms, I finally got clear skies and photographed Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS,” wrote Richard Carroll on his Facebook page. “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may not be visible again for 80,000 years or perhaps ever as it journeys away from Earth and beyond our solar system.”

Best Astrophotos Of Thor’s Helmet Nebula

This great astrophoto features Thor’s Helmet Nebula, or NGC 2359. This impressive emission nebula is in the constellation Canis Major. Its unique shape resembles the helmet of the Norse god Thor, with a bright central star surrounded by a glowing cloud of gas and dust lit up by the star’s strong radiation.

“This deep-sky object is an emission nebula located about 8º from the star Sirius in our line of sight and can be seen through small telescopes from dark-sky locations,” Tren A Via Lactea, its author, added to his beautiful shot.

Best Astrophotos Of M81 (Bode’s Galaxy)

This image by Ochoa Fernando captures a deep-sky view of the region around the M81, also known as Bode’s Galaxy, and nearby galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major. The larger, bright spiral galaxy on the right is M81. Below it, near the bottom left, you can see a smaller group of interacting galaxies known as the M82 (or the Cigar Galaxy), with its distinctive elongated shape.

These galaxies are part of the M81 Group, a galaxy group located about 12 million light-years away. M81 is one of the nearest and most prominent spiral galaxies, making it a popular target for amateur astrophotographers. Additionally, the dark background is filled with faint stars and some diffuse dust clouds, giving the scene a rich cosmic texture.

Stellar H-bomb

This astrophoto, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, captures the binary star system R Aquarii, located 710 light-years away in Aquarius. The image shows a pulsating red giant and a compact white dwarf star locked in a powerful interaction, causing a stunning outburst of glowing gas that forms the colourful Cederblad 211 nebula. This explosive, “stellar H-bomb” effect occurs as the stars approach each other, igniting hydrogen on the white dwarf’s surface approximately every 44 years.

UFO-Like Cloud Taieri Pet

A recent satellite image captured the return of New Zealand’s “Taieri Pet,” a UFO-like cloud that often forms above the Otago region’s South Island. This elongated, lenticular cloud appears in roughly the same spot when moist air is forced over the Rock and Pillar Range, creating this stunning and unusual sight. Known locally as the “Taieri Pet,” the cloud measures around 7 miles (11.5 kilometres) in length and is a fascinating example of nature’s atmospheric artistry.

Thank you to all the photographers who shared their amazing images for our best astrophotos of last week’s list! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion for astrophotography and wish you clear skies for your future captures!