He has had his head in the stars for almost half a century. So comets, Benjamin Poupard has already encountered more than one. “Some have left an indelible mark in my memory”explains the deputy director of the Reims planetarium who cites the most remarkable: “Hyakutake in 1996, Hale-Bopp in 1997, or Neowise not long ago. »
The Rémois can now add a fourth: he took this magnificent shot of the one that earthlings have nicknamed “the comet of the century”, aka Tsuchinshan-Atlas or more soberly C/2023/A3. “A comet with the naked eye in town is quite rare. There, we’re on to something spectacular all the same! »
Benjamin Poupard has, however, failed twice since the small celestial body approached the Sun: “I had seen some very beautiful photos taken from Australia, and based on these very beautiful images… I had broken my nose, early in the morning, two weeks ago, before breaking my nose again nose (and catching a cold) Friday evening. » Two exits “without the slightest hair of a comet: I was starting to doubt a little.”
Fortunately, the forty-something is the reckless type. A bit lucky too, because the autumn weather does not facilitate observations. “But against all expectations, the veil of clouds fleetingly opened this (Monday) evening. A timely window that I was able to enjoy through the open dressing room window. » From his home in the Clairmarais district, around 9 p.m. he was able to admire the one who has been the object of all attention since this weekend. Nearly 70 million kilometers from us.
“The show was short, but intense”
He says: “Shortly after sunset, not much to see, however: Venus shines on the horizon, joined shortly after by Arcturus. That’s good: the comet is located quite exactly halfway between these brilliant markers. »
The minutes pass. Nothing.
He scans the sky with binoculars“planes and birds cross the field”. Still no comet. “And there, finally, a bright spot: I have it! Brilliant, yes! And already, a semblance of a tail appears in the binoculars. » He takes the first photos: “The sky darkens minute by minute, and the comet stands out more clearly with each minute, becoming visible to the naked eye in the sky of Reims, like a simple dot, then like a diffuse spindle, more and more brilliant . With binoculars, the tail soon occupies the entire field, incredible! The comet approaches the roof of the building opposite, soon joined by the clouds… The show was short, but intense! »
How to observe it?
If you too dream of observing the luminous trail of gas and plasma of the “comet of the century”, here are some tips, knowing that it will still be visible all week. Provided the sky is clear, of course. “This Monday, she was closest to the sun. The further we go in time, the less brilliant it will be, but what we lose in brilliance, we gain in visibility. » In other words, the small celestial body made up of a core, a mixture of ice and dust “setting” later and later, “we will be able to observe it every day under a slightly darker sky, therefore a little longer. »
This Tuesday, October 15, he advises scanning the west around 9:27 p.m. This Wednesday, around 9:44 p.m.; this Thursday, around 10 p.m. Friday, around 10:14 p.m. and Saturday around 10:26 p.m.
The ideal, “it’s to start by scanning the sunset (i.e. direction west) with a pair of binoculars, but then when we find it, it is easily visible to the naked eye! » Final advice: leave the city and look for a higher spot. Far from light pollution, “the comet will stand out better”.
Here is a small sky map showing the location of the comet for this Wednesday evening:
