2023-08-20 15:06:49
Several hundred million kilometers away, a comet discovered by an amateur seems to be approaching the Earth and the Sun. Named Nishimura, it should gain brightness over the next few weeks to potentially become visible to the naked eye in mid-September.
Scanning the sky and its morning light, Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered a comet on August 11, several million kilometers from Earth. Detected in the constellation of Gemini and baptized C/2023 P1 Nishimura, the comet seems to be approaching our Planet and the Sun. Currently located more than 231 million kilometers away, its trajectory will bring it closer to Earth on September 13, at a distance of 128 million kilometers.
A brief passage visible in the night sky
If the comet can be detected with an amateur telescope, with a magnitude of 10.4, its journey towards the center of the Solar System should make it much more visible to us. The comet can then be scrutinized with a pair of binoculars, while its magnitude will oscillate between 5 and 4. Like Neowise in July 2020, astronomers and photographers even hope that it will become perceptible to the naked eye, subject to dark clear night skies.
Observing the comet in mid-September
However, you’ll have to be quick to seize the moment: with its hyperbolic orbit, this interstellar object will quickly lose magnitude as it speeds towards its perihelion, or its closest point to the Sun. Nishimura will reach it on September 18 and continue its journey through the Solar System. But the comet might also have a much more… explosive end. The increase in heat during its journey near the star would be likely to disintegrate it, thus offering an impressive spectacle.
However, it is good to remember that the observation of the celestial body can vary, with conditions changing over the weeks. For amateur astronomers equipped with telescopes, it is time to point their instrument at the horizon, early in the morning in the east, to observe the increase crescendo of the luminosity of comet Nishimura.
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