Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from hills southeast of Livermore, CA, taken after sunset on 10/12/2024. iPhone 12 braced against car, no tracking.

Comet NEOWISE from hill southeast of Livermore, CA, taken 7/21/2020. iPhone Xr with NightCap app, ~20 s exposure, no tracking. Comet NEOWISE in 2020 was the best northern hemisphere comet since Hale-Bopp and a great binocular object. I did not get a chance to take a long exposure from a dark sky site, but this evening picture with my iPhone does at least show the tail.

1996 and 1997 were great years for comets. The next two pictures were both taken from atop Mt. Laguna (6000 ft.), an hour's drive east of San Diego. Each is about a 10 minute exposure (on film!) using a camera with a normal lens on an equatorial tracking table.

Comet Hyahkutake, March 25, 1996, from Mt. Laguna, California

Comet Hale-Bopp, March 18, 1997, from Mt. Laguna, California