Rancho Mirage photographer Jamie Hopkins was about to give up on photographing the so-called “Comet of the Century.”

“I waited longer because I had been trying for two days to get it,” Hopkins said. Inmaricopa this morning. “I finally understood. I was just holding back.”

At 7:30 on Wednesday night, when Comet Tuchinshan Atlas was spotted in the eastern sky, Hopkins was so focused on photographing this spectacular astronomical phenomenon that he and 65-year-old Maricopa ended up compositing the photo. He said he didn’t notice. Landmarks in the frame.

His photos include the old water tower off White and Park Road on the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, giving him a special perspective into space. The tower is beautifully decorated with artistic and colorful murals and still proves to be the perfect place to gaze into the night sky for a once-in-a-lifetime galactic experience.

Hopkins took the photo with his iPhone 16 Pro Max, without using a tripod, with his hand steady.

A two-tailed space snowball made its closest approach to Earth in more than 80,000 years last weekend, much to the delight of stargazers around the world.

This is the brightest comet visible on Earth since Comet Hale-Bopp passed in 1997.

It is expected to be seen until Thursday.