Hideo Nishimura, an amateur astronomer from Kakegawa, Japan, has made a significant discovery in the night sky. On August 11 and 12, 2023, Nishimura captured images of a new comet that now bears his name – Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura. The comet is currently moving in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins, low in the dawn sky.
Nishimura’s discovery was particularly impressive because the comet was hiding in the sun’s glare before he picked it up in his images. The comet will continue to brighten as it closes in on the sun, bringing it into binocular range. However, it may be difficult to locate against the glare of the sun or daylight.
Although estimates indicate that the comet might get bright enough to see without optical aid, it will be very close to the area of the sky where the sun is. This proximity to the sun may make it challenging to observe the comet. However, there are still opportunities to spot the celestial visitor using binoculars, a small telescope, or long-exposure photos during the last days of August and first days of September.
The current observed magnitude of the comet is around 9.2, which means people using telescopes in a dark sky can spot it. The comet’s tail is reported to be eight arcminutes long, and it is expected to continue brightening and growing as it nears the sun. The comet will be at its brightest in September when it is closest to the sun and Earth.
By August 15-16, 2023, the comet had already passed Earth’s orbit as it approached the sun. It is traveling so fast that it will reach Venus’ orbit by August 27, 2023. Sky enthusiasts can observe the comet with a small telescope during the remaining days of August. However, it may not survive its passage near the sun due to its extremely close pass. If it does survive, it should become a binocular object during the first mornings of September.
The path of the new comet is still being defined, but as of August 21, 2023, NASA/JPL made new orbital calculations that indicate Comet Nishimura orbits the sun every 202 years. This suggests that it is a “local” comet from our solar system and not an interstellar comet. The closest approach to Earth will occur on September 12, 2023, when the comet will pass at 78 million miles (125 million km) from Earth. Perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, will be on September 17, 2023, passing at 27 million miles (43.7 million km) from our star.
Estimating a comet’s brightness is always challenging due to their unpredictability. While Comet Nishimura could be bright enough to see with the unaided eye, it could also fall apart as it nears the sun. Starwalk estimates the comet to be magnitude 4.9 on September 11, within range of the unaided eye. However, the bright sunlight coming from below the horizon will make spotting anything in the sky incredibly challenging.
As the comet pulls away from the sun, it will fade in brightness. By mid-October, it will be farther from the sun in our sky but becoming dimmer. It will also be in daylight or below the horizon most of the time.
Overall, the discovery of Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura by Hideo Nishimura is an exciting event for astronomers and sky enthusiasts. While observing the comet may be challenging due to its proximity to the sun, there are still opportunities to spot it using binoculars, a small telescope, or long-exposure photos.Hideo Nishimura, an amateur astronomer from Kakegawa, Japan, has made a remarkable discovery. While photographing the night sky on August 11 and 12, 2023, Nishimura captured images of a new comet that now bears his name. Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura is currently moving in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins, low in the dawn sky.
The comet had been hiding in the sun’s glare before Nishimura picked it up in his images. It is expected to continue brightening as it closes in on the sun, bringing it into binocular range. However, there are concerns about whether it will get bright enough to see with the naked eye.
Estimates suggest that the comet might reach a brightness level that would make it visible without optical aid. However, it will be very close to the area of the sky where the sun is, making it difficult to locate against the glare of the sun or daylight. Despite this challenge, there are still opportunities to spot the comet using binoculars, a small telescope, or long-exposure photos during the last days of August and first days of September.
Currently, the observed magnitude of the comet is around 9.2, which means it can be spotted using telescopes in a dark sky. The comet’s tail has been reported to be eight arcminutes long, and it is expected to continue brightening and growing as it nears the sun. The comet will be at its brightest in September when it is closest to the sun and Earth.
By August 15-16, 2023, the comet had already passed Earth’s orbit as it approaches the sun. It is traveling so fast that it will reach Venus’ orbit by August 27, 2023. Sky enthusiasts can observe the comet with a small telescope during the remaining days of August. However, there are concerns about its survival as it passes near the sun, as it will be extremely close to our star.
Comet Nishimura will pass closer to the sun than Mercury’s orbit. If it does survive through August, it should become a binocular object during the first mornings of September. Observers with an unobstructed view to the east-northeastern horizon might get good binocular views of the comet around September 10, some 45 minutes before sunrise.
The path of the new comet is still being defined, as there haven’t been many observations. However, as of August 21, 2023, NASA/JPL made new orbital calculations that indicate Comet Nishimura orbits the sun every 202 years, suggesting it is a “local” comet from our solar system and not an interstellar comet.
The closest approach to Earth will occur on September 12, 2023, when the comet will pass at 78 million miles (125 million km) from Earth. Perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, will be on September 17, 2023, passing at 27 million miles (43.7 million km) from our star. Scientists expect to refine the comet’s orbit as new observations become available.
Comet Nishimura is currently moving through the zodiacal constellations. It will move from Gemini into the constellation of Cancer in late August and early September, traverse Leo in the middle of September, and visit Virgo in the second half of September.
Estimating the brightness of a comet is always challenging due to their unpredictable nature. While Comet Nishimura could be bright enough to see with the naked eye, it could also fall apart as it nears the sun. However, estimates suggest that the comet will be magnitude 4.9 on September 11, within range of the unaided eye. It will be near the crescent moon, brilliant Venus, and the star Adhafera in Leo’s Sickle. Spotting anything in the sky will be incredibly challenging due to the bright sunlight coming from below the horizon.
During perihelion, when the comet is closest to the sun on September 17, it is estimated to be magnitude 3.2. However, it will be difficult to see due to its proximity to the sun in the sky.
As the comet pulls away from the sun, it will fade in brightness. By mid-October, it will be farther from the sun in our sky but becoming dimmer. It will also be in daylight or below the horizon most of the time.
In conclusion, the newly discovered Comet Nishimura may be bright enough to see with the naked eye in September. However, observing it will be challenging due to its proximity to the sun. Sky enthusiasts are encouraged to try spotting the comet using binoculars, a small telescope, or long-exposure photos before it gets too close to the sun’s vicinity.
What challenges do astronomers face when estimating the brightness of comets, and how does this affect the visibility of Comet Nishimura on September 12, 2023?
Ccur on September 12, 2023, when the comet will pass at a distance of 78 million miles (125 million km) from Earth. Perihelion, the closest approach to the sun, will be on September 17, 2023, passing at a distance of 27 million miles (43.7 million km) from our star.
Estimating the brightness of a comet is always challenging due to their unpredictable nature. While Comet Nishimura could be bright enough to see with the naked eye, there is also a possibility that it may fall apart as it gets closer to the sun. According to estimates, the comet is expected to have a magnitude of 4.9 on September 11, making it potentially visible without optical aid. However, the bright sunlight emerging from below the horizon will make it incredibly difficult to spot anything in the sky.
As the comet moves away from the sun, it will gradually fade in brightness. By mid-October, it will be farther from the sun in our sky and become increasingly dim. Additionally, it will spend most of the time either in daylight or below the horizon.
Overall, the discovery of Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura by Hideo Nishimura is an exciting event for astronomers and sky enthusiasts. Despite the challenges posed by its proximity to the sun, there are still opportunities to observe the comet using binoculars, a small telescope, or through long-exposure photos.
