Comet C2024 G3 Atlas survives

Comet C2024 G3 Atlas survived it's close pass with the sun, causing a stir in the astronomy community as comets surviving such a trip tend to be very bright.  some, even visible during daylight.  

While this one was in theory bright enough to see during daylight, it's trajectory kept its line of sight close to the sun and heading south.  so not a great target for northern viewers due to the sun's glare.  

On 1/15/25 I managed to catch it from the top of signal hill shortly after work.  It was visible in binoculars, slightly better than this image, but not visible naked eye:

C2024 G3 Atlas
1/15/2025 
approximately 5:41 PM local

Wider view:

C2024 G3 Atlas
1/15/2025

About 30 people were gathered on top of signal hill to catch the sunset (none for the comet).  As amateur astronomers are wont to do, I attempted to share my catch with my neighbors: handing off the binoculars to a couple next to me, I told them to look above the string of lights heading up the far hill...

after a few failed attempts, I showed them again and they found it, at least pretending to be pleased.  

In running through my images, I discovered the problem: there were intermittently more than one string of lights "going up the hill" and they were moving--massive arrays of lights working at the port of Long Beach.  

Comet C2024 G3 ATLAS
Activity at 
Port of Long Beach
1/15/2025 
5:41-5:47 PM

 

image details:

1/15/2025

Hill Top Park, Signal Hill.

comet first detected in binoculars at 5:41 PM local, approximately 36 minutes after sunset.

not visible naked eye.  

nikon D850

F-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

1/25 sec @ f/5 ISO 400 195 mm