Category: Astronomy

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS)—April 2026

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Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2x120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).

I was very happy to be able to see and to photograph Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) during a two-week period in the middle of April. Later in the month it became more difficult to see the comet in the morning twilight. After it made its closest approach to the Sun it flipped into the evening sky but by that time it was best seen from the Southern Hemisphere. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere had already had a great show from this comet.

From Wikipedia:

C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet and passed perihelion on 19 April 2026 when it was 75 million km from the Sun. Around perihelion it reached about an apparent magnitude of +3. The comet was discovered by PanSTARRS in images obtained on 8 September 2025. By 20 March 2026 it became visible in 10×50 binoculars. As of May, the comet has faded, moved into the southern skies, and will require binoculars or a camera to locate.

I photographed the comet from two locations: the west side of Mormon Lake in the small pullout; and from Ashurst Lake overlooking the water. I was hoping for some reflections of the comet in the lake waters (as I had from Comet C/2023 A3) but was not successful.

Here are several photographs of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) from April 2026.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 09 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 80mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 8x60 seconds. Images stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 09 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 80mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 8×60 seconds. Images stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 12 April 2026. Photographed from Ashurst Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 100, 2x240 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 12 April 2026. Photographed from Ashurst Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 100, 2×240 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then inverted into a black-and-white negative image.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then inverted into a black-and-white negative image.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then star removal using StarNet software.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then star removal using StarNet software.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2x120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2×120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).

In July/August, Comet 10P/Tempel 2 should be a good camera target although it is not expected to reach unaided eye brightness.

Zodiacal Light–March 2026

With exceptionally clear skies and no Moon it was a good time to capture images of the zodiacal light. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this astronomical phenomenon.

Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular, diffuse white glow seen in the night sky that appears to extend up from the vicinity of the Sun along the ecliptic or zodiac. It is best seen just after sunset and before sunrise in spring and autumn when the zodiac is at a steep angle to the horizon. Caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the zodiacal cloud, it is so faint that either moonlight or light pollution renders it invisible.

Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.

The image shows the cone of light extending upward from the western horizon. In the upper portion is the Pleiades star cluster and Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is visible as a faint smudge on the right. The zodiacal light is also faintly reflected in the still waters of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona.

Unedited version of the previous image showing satellite tracks.Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
Unedited version of the previous image showing satellite tracks. Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
Zodiacal light from 2014--with no satellite tracks.
Zodiacal light from 2014–with no satellite tracks.

But this is an edited image because the original was full of satellite tracks (and a few aircraft tracks). The second image is the unedited version. For comparison, an image of the zodiacal light taken in 2014 (before Starlink) shows no satellite tracks at all.

Nikon D850, Tamron 17–35mm @ 17mm, ƒ/2.8, ISO 800, 10 seconds.

Lunar Eclipse—03 March 2026

A total lunar eclipse occurred on March 3, 2026, and was visible across North America. Fortunately, the skies were clear over northern Arizona allowing us to watch the entire event. The timing wasn’t optimal as it occurred in the early morning hours before sunrise. On the other hand, the timing kept the crowds away.

A composite of five images during the total lunar eclipse of March 03, 2026. The circle marks the size of Earth's umbral shadow.
A composite of five images during the total lunar eclipse of March 03, 2026. The circle marks the size of Earth’s umbral shadow.
Schematic of the different phases and times during the total lunar eclipse. The image is rotated 90°.
Schematic of the different phases and times during the total lunar eclipse. The image is rotated 90°.

From Wikipedia:

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s near side entirely passes into the Earth’s umbral shadow. A lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours…

I decided to photograph the eclipse using a star tracker so that the camera would follow the stars across the sky as the event unfolded. Because the Moon is moving from west-to-east as it moves around Earth the lunar disk would move across the image. After the event, I could stack multiple images showing the different phases of the eclipse and the Moon’s location relative to the umbral shadow.

The next total lunar eclipse visible from Arizona will occur June 25, 202–but the eclipse will already be in progress when the Moon rises above the eastern horizon. Maximum totality should be visible although it will still be Nautical Twilight and the eastern sky should be dark enough to see the lunar disk. A good idea for the 2029 eclipse will be line up the Moon with some interesting foregrounds. I think I have plenty of time to plan this.

Orion in February

In a recent post I talked about a photo session in which I captured images of Orion using a wide-angle lens. My next goal was to use a telephoto lens to zoom in on specific areas. My first effort did not go well. It was cold and windy. My attempts to get the star tracker aligned were mostly unsuccessful — because of the cold and wind. And the lens I used (Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6) was too big and heavy for the tracking mount.

Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion with Star Removal.
Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion with Star Removal.
Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion.
Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion.

I tried again the next night and there was less wind–but it was still cold. This time I used the Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S manual focus lens. It is much lighter and easier to focus and it produces a very sharp image by the time it is stopped down to ƒ/4.0. My goal was to capture the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) and the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) plus one or more stars from Orion’s belt.

Both the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula are in the constellation of Orion and are part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex. (Note: an amusing reference to the “Horace Head Nebula” appears in Isaac Asimov’s “The Stars, Like Dust“. Check it out!) The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula while the Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula.

I shot 73 one-minute exposures plus the usual assortment of darks, flats, and bias images. The images were stacked using Siril 1.4 with Star Reduction, histogram stretching using rnc-color-stretch, and finally post processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

The first image is the result with Star Reduction turned on; the second image is without Star Reduction. I like them both.

Nikon D850, Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S @ ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 73 x 60 seconds.

Orion in January

One of my goals this month was to capture the constellation Orion using a wide angle lens. Several months ago I purchased the Tamron 35mm f/1.4 Di USD lens. This is a very good wide-angle lens for astrophotography because the stars remain sharp in the corners. I have written about this lens in a previous post.

Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula.
Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula.
Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula with labels.
Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula with labels.

A good reason to photograph Orion with a wide angle lens is the abundance of interesting objects that are near and surround Orion. These include the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, the Witch Head Nebula, Rosetta Nebula, Flame Nebula, and Barnards Loop, among others.

A screen shot from the Stellarium application showing Orion and the field of view with a 35° lens.
A screen shot from the Stellarium application showing Orion and the field of view with a 35° lens.

I shot 40 two-minute images (80 minutes total exposure) at f/2.8 and ISO 400 and then stacked them using Siril. I also ran a star reduction algorithm to remove some of the stars so that the gas clouds would be more visible. Here are the results of that astrophotography session.

Next I would like to use a large telephoto lens to zoom in on some of these objects. Now I just need to wait for the Moon to shift into the early morning hours.