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

Photographers with an interest in the night sky have been treated to glimpses of a comet that last passed the Earth 80,000 years ago. But one snapper who captured the rarity risked missing out due to a more weekly event - taking his son to Scouts.

When Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was this way previously, Neanderthals were still alive. It meant that Jono Kimber, from Ellesmere in Shropshire, knew the margins of success were already tight as this visitor would not hang around. Tricky light, however, was threatening to make his brief window on Thursday even smaller.

Bad weather had ruined his chances on the previous three nights, so he threw his camera and tripod in the back of the car when he went to drop off his son.

He said he initially thought he may fare better on Thursday, after inspecting conditions through a window while having tea. But due to his family commitments he grew "really scared of missing it".

After dropping off his son, he said he "drove around a little bit" to find a good place to stop, eventually settling on a spot close to a main road. That put him, give or take, about 44 million miles (70 million km) away from the object, going by NASA maths.

Mr Kimber, a member of an online community with an interest in night sky photography, said he liked the location because he had seen other photographers using "nice open landscapes to give the sense of space and expanse" in their images.

That same night other people were taking photos of the impressive Hunter's Moon, but Mr Kimber said the light it was giving off was a hindrance for him, because it "causes a bit of haze".

And then... more family commitments. After taking 10 photos on long exposure, he had to dash off to collect, this time, his daughter.

But by then, he said, he was pleased with what he had achieved, also capturing, he added, Elon Musk's Starlink satellites travelling in a train across the sky.

Another Shropshire photographer who jumped at the chance to photograph the comet was Julian Cartwright from Clee Hill. But he too was not without challenges.

He said while his main interest was wildlife and landscape photography, the rarity of the comet made it irresistible.

"The aurora has been a highlight this year and when I heard about the comet it seemed daft not to go and have a look," he explained.

And so he "popped out for a walk" with his wife and in Dhustone, set up his camera, training it in the direction of Ludlow.

He said he was just in time, because "cloud completely obscured the comet a few minutes after getting the shot".