A transitory object, dark skies, clear weather, and a landscape that complemented the celestial event
In the early hours before dawn, an Argentine photographer boarded a bus toward the Andes, chasing a comet the way others chase meaning — with urgency, preparation, and a willingness to go where the sky is clearest. Lucas D'Ortone, based in Mar del Plata, traveled to the volcanic plains of Malargüe, Mendoza, to photograph comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS as it passed through the region of Orion. The resulting image, which placed the transient visitor from the outer solar system above the Malacara volcano, was selected by NASA as its photo of the day — a recognition that honors not only technical mastery but the ancient human impulse to look up and bear witness.
- A closing weather window in Mar del Plata forced D'Ortone into a last-minute decision: travel overnight to Mendoza or lose the comet entirely.
- The comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS was near its closest solar approach, drawing global attention but offering only a narrow window of optimal visibility.
- D'Ortone had to synchronize the comet's trajectory, lunar phase, weather patterns, and volcanic landscape into a single coherent frame — with little margin for error.
- When conditions aligned in Malargüe, he captured the comet suspended above the Malacara volcano, framed by the nebulae of Orion.
- NASA's selection of the image as photo of the day placed an Argentine astrophotographer at the center of international scientific and artistic recognition.
Lucas D'Ortone made a last-minute call that most photographers never get to make twice. Based in Mar del Plata, he booked a bus ticket on short notice and headed to Mendoza the following day — chasing comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS, a long-period object nearing its closest approach to the sun. His goal wasn't simply to record the comet's presence, but to place it in conversation with the landscape and sky around it: the Orion constellation, its surrounding nebulae, and the volcanic terrain of southern Mendoza.
The choice of Malargüe was deliberate. Mar del Plata's forecast offered no viable conditions, while Malargüe's minimal light pollution and dramatic volcanic geography gave D'Ortone the canvas he needed. Astrophotography demands this kind of calculation — comet position, lunar phase, weather, framing, timing — and comets themselves are notoriously unreliable subjects, as likely to disappoint as to dazzle.
When the elements converged, D'Ortone anchored the comet above the Malacara volcano, letting the landscape ground the image without competing with the sky above it. NASA recognized the photograph as its photo of the day — a distinction that reflects both technical rigor and the rarer quality of aesthetic intention. For D'Ortone, the image was always meant to document something specific: the relationship between a fleeting celestial event and the earth beneath it, on one particular night. The recognition also quietly affirms what serious astrophotographers have long known — that Argentina's dark skies are among the finest in the world.
Lucas D'Ortone made a last-minute decision that paid off in a way few photographers ever experience. The Argentine astrophotographer, based in Mar del Plata, booked a bus ticket one early morning and was on his way to Mendoza by the next day. He was chasing a comet—specifically C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS, a long-period object that had recently reached its closest approach to the sun and was drawing the attention of astronomers worldwide. But D'Ortone wasn't just chasing the comet itself. He wanted to photograph it in context, framed against the Orion constellation and the volcanic landscape of one of Argentina's darkest-sky regions.
The decision to travel came down to weather and geography. Mar del Plata's forecast was poor, making any serious comet photography impossible from home. Mendoza, by contrast, offered what D'Ortone needed: reliably dark skies and dramatic terrain. He chose Malargüe specifically, a town in the province known for its volcanic landscape and minimal light pollution. The comet would be visible through telescopes and binoculars in the evening sky, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, and its passage through the Orion region—near the Great Nebula of Orion, the Flame Nebula, and the Horsehead Nebula—made the timing and location crucial.
Astrophotography is not spontaneous work. D'Ortone had to account for the comet's position, the timing of its visibility, the orientation of the sky, the lunar phase, weather patterns, and potential framing options. Comets are unpredictable objects; they often promise much and deliver little, or occasionally surprise in the opposite direction. What drew D'Ortone to this particular subject was the possibility of capturing not just the comet itself but the entire scene—the object in motion against the sky and landscape that framed it.
When the conditions aligned, the photograph emerged. D'Ortone positioned the comet above the Malacara volcano, using the landscape as an anchor without letting it compete with the sky. The result was selected by NASA as photo of the day—recognition that speaks to both the technical skill required and the aesthetic vision that separates a good astronomical image from a memorable one. D'Ortone described the success as a convergence of elements that rarely align: a transitory object like a comet, genuinely dark skies, clear weather, and a landscape that complemented rather than overwhelmed the celestial event.
For D'Ortone, the image's value extended beyond its visual appeal. He wanted it to document something specific about that particular night—the relationship between what was happening in the sky and the ground beneath it. That combination of technical precision, artistic intention, and the willingness to travel on short notice to chase optimal conditions is what caught NASA's attention. The recognition also underscores Argentina's standing as a destination for serious astrophotography, with Mendoza's dark skies and volcanic terrain offering the kind of canvas that makes such images possible.
Citas Notables
I wanted the image to show not just the comet, but the entire sky that night, alongside the Orion region and a landscape that would accompany the scene— Lucas D'Ortone, astrophotographer
Comets are unpredictable. Sometimes they promise much and don't behave as expected, and other times they surprise you. That's part of what makes photographing them interesting— Lucas D'Ortone
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did you decide to travel to Mendoza instead of trying to photograph the comet from Mar del Plata?
The weather forecast was against me at home. But more than that, I wanted dark skies and a landscape that would work with the comet, not against it. Mendoza offered both.
How much of this was planned versus improvised?
The planning was intense—I had to know where the comet would be, what time, what the sky would look like. But once I was there, I had to adapt to what actually happened. You can't control the sky.
What made you think to frame it with the volcano?
I wanted the image to show a moment in time, not just an object. The comet was passing through Orion that night, and the landscape was part of that moment. The volcano gave it context.
Did you expect NASA to select it?
I hoped it was strong enough to be seen, but no—you never expect that. What mattered to me was that the image worked, that all those elements came together. The NASA recognition was a surprise.
What's the hardest part of astrophotography?
Waiting. Planning everything perfectly, then waiting for the sky to cooperate. And knowing when to stop—when you've captured what you came for.