Comet G3 Atlas

This comet was half-expected to put on a great show, and at least a decent show, for southern hemisphere observers. Here in the North, the comet would be only visible in daylight, or else so deep in evening twilight as to require a Venus level brilliance to show through.

I only managed to get one lucky shot, in broad daylignt in the afternoon of Jan 14, from my deck using my neighbor's Dish as an impromptu coronagraph, almost as a passing interesting "coronograph" shot, not really expecting to see the comet, only using the little Canon point/shoot. But, it worked, as the comet was mag -4 on this day after perihelion, although only 6 degrees from the sun. I had to stretch the contrast by about 10:1 to have it show best here.

The predicted view at dawn Jan 12

Looks like a coronograph, no? Functioned well!

The comet is in the light blue at center of the frame. A small bright nucleus and faint short tail.

The horizon view of the sun and comet at the time of the photo at left and right; the comet was 7 degrees upper left of the sun

Zoomed in on the last shot. The nucleus was bright, the tail not so much.

Evening of the 14th. I didn't examine my image at left to see the comet, or I might have tried again to see it at sunset. Kirk Bender did go to the beach and try, but did not find the comet.