Shropshire: Dash not to miss once-in-a-lifetime comet snap

Photographers fascinated by the night sky have had the chance to see a comet that last visited Earth 80,000 years ago. However, one photographer almost missed this unique opportunity because he had to take his son to Scouts that week.

When Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was in this position before, Neanderthals were still living. This meant that Jono Kimber, hailing from Ellesmere in Shropshire, understood that the chances of achieving success were very slim since this visitor wouldn’t linger for long. Unfortunately, the challenging lighting conditions were making his short opportunity on Thursday even more difficult.

Poor weather had spoiled his opportunities over the last three nights, so he tossed his camera and tripod into the trunk of the car while he was dropping off his son.

He mentioned that at first, he believed he might have a better chance on Thursday after checking the situation outside while enjoying a cup of tea. However, because of his family obligations, he became "really anxious about missing out."

After leaving his son, he mentioned that he "cruised around for a while" to locate a suitable place to park. He ultimately chose a spot near a major road. According to NASA's calculations, that placed him roughly 44 million miles (or 70 million kilometers) from the object.

Mr. Kimber, who is part of an online group focused on nighttime photography, mentioned that he appreciated the site because he had observed other photographers utilizing "beautiful wide landscapes to create a feeling of space and vastness" in their pictures.

Later that evening, others were snapping pictures of the stunning Hunter's Moon. However, Mr. Kimber mentioned that the brightness of the moon was a challenge for him, as it "creates a bit of haze."

And soon after, there were more family obligations. After snapping 10 long exposure shots, he had to hurry off to pick up his daughter this time.

However, at that point, he mentioned that he was happy with his accomplishments and had also managed to capture images of Elon Musk's Starlink satellites moving in a line across the sky.

Another photographer from Shropshire, Julian Cartwright from Clee Hill, eagerly seized the opportunity to capture images of the comet. However, he faced his own set of difficulties.

He mentioned that although his primary focus is on capturing images of wildlife and landscapes, the uniqueness of the comet was too captivating to pass up.

"This year, the aurora has been a standout attraction, and when I found out about the comet, it just made sense to go and check it out," he said.

He decided to take a stroll with his wife and, while in Dhustone, positioned his camera to capture the view towards Ludlow.

He mentioned that he arrived just in time, as "the clouds entirely hid the comet shortly after capturing the image."