Predawn PanSTARRS: Stunning Naked-Eye Comet Over Somerset

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Source: Space
Predawn PanSTARRS: Stunning Naked-Eye Comet Over Somerset
Photo: Space
TL;DR

British astrophotographer Josh Dury captured a striking predawn image of comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) rising above the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, as light pollution created a false dawn; the bright nucleus and a tail spanning about 10 degrees are visible to the naked eye ahead of PanSTARRS' perihelion around April 19–20, using 33 long-exposure frames with a Sony A7S III and a 135mm lens, and the comet likely originates from the distant Oort Cloud with an orbital period of about 170,000 years.

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