These are highlights that astronomy enthusiasts won’t miss for anything in the world. Comet Nishimura will shine in its firmament this Sunday, September 10, 2023 and will be visible with simple binoculars, or even with the naked eye if the local sky allows it of course.
This comet is very fresh, so to speak, since it was discovered by a Japanese amateur astronomer, Hideo Nishimura, on August 11th. We don’t know much about it yet, except that it is heading towards the Sun and will shine at its brightest this weekend. “The comet will come so close to the Sun, within the orbit of the planet Mercury, that its core could break apart”specifies NASA.
“It is rare to discover a comet so close to its peak. Most are discovered months or even years before they pass closest to the Sun.explains Nicolas Biver, CNRS researcher at the Paris-PSL Observatory. “C/2023 P1 is the scientific name of the comet, has a long-period orbit with a last pass near the Sun dating back 437 years”he explains to AFP.
The astronomical archives do not mention this visitor, specifies the astrophysicist. It will be closest to our star on September 17, 33 million kilometers away, less than a quarter of the distance from Earth to the Sun, and 125 million kilometers from our planet.
To observe the comet, it will be advisable to privilege the morning, around 6 am in the direction of the northeast, to the left of Venus, and hoping that the sky is clear.
Sources: AFP, NASA