2023-09-06 17:16:50
It is a celestial event which we did not expect. Discovered on August 12, Comet Nishimura should be visible with the naked eye or with binoculars in the September night sky. Here’s everything you need to know regarding this show.
Its small name is C/2023 P1, but it is also recently known by the name of the astronomer who discovered it: Hideo Nishimura. The new comet Nishimura promises to be one of the celestial spectacles of this month of September, for astronomy enthusiasts and the curious who will scrutinize the starry vault in these last days of summer. If it is difficult to predict with accuracy if this space car will be visible to the naked eye, it is however not impossible that it shows itself. And this is a real surprise, since this comet was discovered – somewhat by chance – by this passionate astronomer.
When will it be observable?
Still, according to the forecasts of astronomers, this comet will be observable by following several conditions. For the lucky ones with a telescope, the comet Nishimura is already observable until August 26 in the area of the constellation of Gemini, on this date it will switch to the area of Cancer. But for the general public, it is during the period from September 8 to 20 that it should become visible to the naked eye, under a clear sky. Observing it with binoculars will bring more to admire the plume which stretches on its long tail from the northern hemisphere.
Be careful, however, because the date of September 10 will be crucial to keep this calendar previously explained. Indeed, on that day the comet Nishimura will be close to our star and will be subjected to the radiation of the sun which will then be at its strongest, with the possible effect of “dissolving” any trace of this brief encounter. The comet’s nucleus can be disintegrated. C/2023 P1 would then disappear.
where and how to observe it?
The good news for the general public undoubtedly lies in the fact that comet Nishimura will be observable not only in France, but also and above all at the end of the night and at dawn between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., between September 8 and 20. . From September 8 to 15 you can search for it in the constellation of Leo then, from September 15 to 20 in that of Virgo. So remember that at the beginning of September this star should be visible to the naked eye, explains at NASA.
And to shine in society if you observe it with a group of friends, know that the code name C/2023-P1, is interpreted as follows. According to the international astronomical union, “C” thus designates non-periodic comets, that is to say which do not obey a close cycle and sometimes pass close to the sun only once, or even take several thousand years before returning. 2023 designates the year of its discovery, and P designates the first part of August in the calendar. “1” being simply the first such celestial object discovered that month. Hideo Nishimura was able to add his name as the discoverer of this comet. This astronomer is not at his first attempt since he has already been able to put his name on two other comets thus observed, one in 1994 and the other in 2021.
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