Linah Mohammad This comet takes about 430 years to orbit the sun. So the last time it was visible from Earth was in the late 1500s — before Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the sky. It...
Linah Mohammad
This comet takes about 430 years to orbit the sun. So the last time it was visible from Earth was in the late 1500s — before Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the sky. It will be visible from Earth again in the 2450s.
If you miss it this time, you'll be waiting a while until your next chance.
Discovery
In the age of automated telescopes, Nishimura's discovery is quite the feat. "It's getting harder and harder for amateur astronomers to scan the sky and see something that isn't on the star chart. But that's what Nishimura has done," astronomer Andrew Fraknoi told All Things Considered.
"He discovered a comet before any of the automated systems in space discovered it. So that's a real tribute to his persistence."
Comet Nishimura was discovered by amateur Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura on Aug. 11 and named after him. He first spotted it by taking long exposure shots using a Canon digital camera and a telephoto lens.
Visibility
Right now, it's only visible from the northern hemisphere. You need to get up before the sun and look toward your eastern horizon — so find a place where you can see very low on the horizon.
Your best shot at seeing this comet is Tuesday morning, when it's closest to Earth. It will be closest to the sun on Sept. 17, after which it will come around and be visible from the southern hemisphere.
To find it, look in the constellation of Leo. You will need binoculars or a small telescope to get a good view.
If you're seriously committed to seeing the comet, Fraknoi recommends checking out Sky & Telescope for star charts to help guide you.
Appearance
The comet appears to burn a bright, lime green color in photographs. But Fraknoi says don't look for something green in the sky.
"The naked eye just shows a fuzzy white glow," he said. "The green only shows up in photographs."
Details for those who are really interested to watch the sky for comet nishimura
Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1) is still tearing up the dance floor as it approaches its September 17th perihelion. I last observed it on September 5th in last-quarter moonlight. Even in 10×50 binoculars the bright, fuzzy head was easy to spot, trailed by a short, westward-pointing tail visible with averted vision. Through a 15-inch telescope the coma was small (3′) and strongly condensed with a pleasing blue-green color from carbon emission. The tail emerging near the head was bright, straight, and pencil-thin. Farther out it expanded and looked fluffier with a total length of ~45′. I was able to keep the comet in view in both telescope and binoculars until 5:30 a.m. — a half-hour into morning twilight. Its overall magnitude was around 5.5.
In my previous post I included maps for locating Comet Nishimura. While those will still work perfectly well, I wanted to include a more realistic chart showing how the comet appears in a real-life setting. As you can infer from the map an unobstructed horizon is crucial. Interference from a bright Moon will be a bit of a bother until about September 8th. Plan to be out about 2 hours before sunrise to anticipate the comet's appearance. The window of observation before twilight encroachment will be brief — only about 20–25 minutes. Binoculars will help pinpoint its location but do bring a telescope for a closer look. You won't be disappointed.
Linah Mohammad
This comet takes about 430 years to orbit the sun. So the last time it was visible from Earth was in the late 1500s — before Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the sky. It will be visible from Earth again in the 2450s.
If you miss it this time, you'll be waiting a while until your next chance.
Discovery
Visibility
Appearance
Bob King from Sky and Telescope
Details for those who are really interested to watch the sky for comet nishimura