Comet C/2023 P1, or Nishimura, is still racing through the solar system toward its perihelion (the point closest to the Sun) and continues to shine in the starry sky. The object, discovered by Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura in mid-August, has continued to increase in brightness in recent weeks.
Nishimura from all angles
Nishimura is currently in the head of the constellation Leo, emerging from the horizon as early as 4:50 a.m. It moves not far from the star Rasalas, with a right ascension time of 11:04, and appears just before the first rays of the sun. When it passes 128 million kilometers from Earth, its apparent magnitude reaches 4.5. It is faintly visible to the naked eye, but is clearly visible with binoculars.
Several astronomers, amateurs and professionals, had fun photographing and filming the comet from different angles. When Nishimura releases more gas than dust, some have been able to admire and photograph a huge bluish trail pigmented with shades of green. Nishimura will continue to be visible for several days, but will gradually fade as our star approaches until it disappears completely after September 18th. C/2023 P1 could then decay due to solar radiation or bypass the star to continue its journey through the cosmos. It would then return to our neighborhood in just over 300 years.
Still unknown at the beginning of August 2023, Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura continues its journey from the boundaries of the solar system to its closest point to the Sun. On its way it will “graze” the Earth on September 12th and become visible without instruments before the first light of the morning.
Article by Dorian de SchaepmeesterDorian de Schaepmeester, published on September 9, 2023
Comet C/2023 P1 was discovered by Hideo Nishimura in Japan on August 11, 2023 and continues to make headlines. As it continues to cut through the solar system and approaches its closest point to the Sun (perihelion), the object will pass “close” to Earth. On September 12, its trajectory will take it into our neighborhood, 125 million kilometers away. With its visibility increasing sharply for more than a month, some astronomers predict that Nishimura’s brightness will hover around 3 or even 2 starting early next week. To the delight of the observers of the heavens.
Visible with binoculars and telescopes and soon also with the naked eye
Originally discovered in the constellation Gemini, the comet now dances in the constellation Leo. It becomes visible to astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere before first light. On the morning of Sunday, September 10th, Nishimura will appear between 4:50 and 5:10 a.m. On September 12th it will pass just below the star Delta Leonis, which is still in the constellation Leo. It will gradually disappear from view as it approaches the Sun.
The comet has been a delight for astrophotographers since its discovery, but you don’t necessarily have to equip yourself with a powerful camera to admire its flyby. A small telescope or a good pair of binoculars are currently sufficient. Fortunately, Nishimura’s brightness will increase until the body becomes visible to the naked eye. C/2023 P1 releases more gas than comet dust. If it looks spectacular in photos, it looks poorer without an instrument. For early risers, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Nishimura’s next crossing of the solar system will not occur for 300 years, assuming it survives the Sun’s powerful radiation at its perihelion…
The meteoric rise of Comet Nishimura: a spectacle not to be missed!
Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura, discovered in mid-August 2023, continues its journey through the solar system and approaches Earth and its perihelion. As astronomers learn more about this new object, its brightness is gradually increasing and could become visible to the naked eye in the coming weeks.
Article by Dorian de Schaepmeester, published on August 31, 2023
In the constellation Gemini, the object C/2023 Nishimura, which was unknown to amateur and professional astronomers a month ago, is becoming increasingly visible. This “new” comet was discovered on August 12 by veteran observer Hideo Nishimura from the city of Kakegawa, Japan, and is currently prancing toward the inner layers of the solar system. In the next few weeks it will approach Earth, which is about 125 million kilometers from our planet, on September 12th. Its trajectory will take it as close to the Sun as possible: on September 17, it will reach perihelion and brush past the star at a distance of 33 million kilometers.
Nishimura, visible to the naked eye? Nothing is less certain…
Astronomers around the world point their instruments, binoculars and telescopes at this bright spot, more than 200 million kilometers away. In just a few days, C/2023 P1 has gained visibility. On August 20, the comet’s brightness was 10.4. Today it is around 7.9 and its brightness is increasing day by day. To observe it it is necessary to use an instrument and to benefit from a sky without light pollution just before sunrise.
If certain experts and journalists (including the author of these lines) mentioned a few weeks earlier a possible naked eye visibility in September, an interview published by Space.com with Daniel Green, astronomer at the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegram (CBAT), puts this claim in Ask. Its position in the morning sky could greatly dim the comet’s brightness, making it undetectable to the naked eye. The latter also releases more gas than dust. However, it is the comet dust that provides the spectacular views.
At the same time, astronomers continue to collect new details about the comet. If it was previously pointed out that the object’s trajectory is hyperbolic, it turns out that C/2023 P1 has a periodic orbit with a closed trajectory. There is much speculation about the comet’s place of origin, which probably emanated from the Oort cloud, a remnant of the protoplanetary diskprotoplanetary disk that formed outside the boundaries of the Solar System after the Kuiper BeltKuiper Belt. Astronomers are now trying to calculate the periodicity of C/2023 P1’s near-Earth passages. It is estimated that the comet could then return to our neighborhood in around 300 years.
A new comet that will be visible to the naked eye from September
Several hundred million kilometers away, a comet discovered by an amateur appears to be approaching the Earth and the Sun. It’s called Nishimura and is expected to increase in brightness in the coming weeks and possibly become visible to the naked eye in mid-September.
Article by Dorian de Schaepmeester, published on August 20, 2023
By scanning the sky and its morning light, Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered a comet several million kilometers from Earth on August 11. The comet was discovered in the constellation Gemini and is named C/2023 P1 Nishimura. It appears to be approaching our planet and the sun. It is currently more than 231 million kilometers away and its trajectory will bring it closer to Earth at a distance of 128 million kilometers on September 13th.
A short passage visible in the night sky
If the comet can be spotted with an amateur telescope at magnitude 10.4, it should be much more visible to us as it travels to the center of the solar system. The comet can then be examined with binoculars, with its brightness varying between 5 and 4. Like Neowise in July 2020, astronomers and photographers even hope that it will be visible to the naked eye when the night sky is dark and clear.
Observe the comet in mid-September
However, you have to be quick to seize the moment: With its hyperbolic orbit, this interstellar object rapidly loses size as it approaches its perihelion, or closest point to the Sun. Nishimura will reach it on September 18 and continue its journey through the solar system. But the comet could also have a much more… explosive end. The increase in heat as it approaches the star would likely cause it to disintegrate, providing an impressive spectacle.
However, keep in mind that viewing the celestial body can vary and conditions change over the weeks. For amateur astronomers equipped with telescopes, it’s time to point their instrument toward the horizon to the east in the early morning to observe the increasing brightness of Comet Nishimura.