C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) spectra, Sept-Oct 2024

[Rob_K]

I put together a montage of low-resolution optical spectra I took of C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in Sept - Oct 2024. These were taken in generally poor conditions - light sky, often hazy, short window of shooting time - so they're pretty rough. The sodium emission is clearly visible in the spectra of 21, 22 & 29 Sept, while the sodium emissions in the tail ("sodium tail") are visible before & after perihelion, 26, 27 & 29 Sept.

Cheers -

[astronobob]

Interesting, so this I assume means that just before and during the 26,27,29 period that the comet emitted a higher outgassing of sodium into the tail ?

[Rob_K]

Cheers Bob. That’s what my spectra appear to indicate but I’d take it with a grain of salt because the comet was dimmer for the remaining spectra and the signal wasn’t as great. I really needed much longer exposures. The subs looked great on the camera screen but I could barely make out the spectrum on the laptop.

Cheers -