An amateur astronomer in Cumbria has been tracking Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with a Canon DSLR camera.
The periodic comet, named after its discoverers, is visible with binoculars or a telescope as it passes Earth every 71 years.
The comet displays outbursts of activity, causing it to brighten as it approaches the Sun periodically.
On a hazy, misty night I took a chance and drove an hour and a half north to capture comet 12P/Pons-Brooks passing the Andromeda galaxy, with the Triangulum galaxy nearby.
IG: Unshakableastro pic.twitter.com/h1rY0PPNot— Con Stoitsis (@vivstoitsis) March 16, 2024
12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 71 years and it’s approaching Earth. The closest approach to Earth will be on 2 June 2024 when it will be 1.55 AU (232 million km) from Earth. pic.twitter.com/FIXYEUq3H0
— wiggle (@w1991e) March 16, 2024
FINALLY a clear night in Kendal to take the image of Comet 12P Pons-Brooks I was hoping for: the comet in the same part of the sky as galaxies M33 (centre left) & M31 (top right). Crop from processed stack 20 tracked images, Canon 700D DSLR/50mm lens/iOptron tracker S ATKINSON pic.twitter.com/y2cmPygF4l
— Stuart Atkinson (@mars_stu) March 16, 2024
Intriguing Tail of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks © Michael Jäger https://t.co/8sOLmbtPlQ pic.twitter.com/jsNpYG4Ooi
— Julio Maiz (@maiz_julio) March 16, 2024