Comet Nishimura: Newly Discovered Rare Green Comet To Be At Its Closest To Earth Tonight. How To Spot It

Comet Nishimura will be at its closest to Earth on September 12, 2023. Since Comet Nishimura has entered Earth's orbit around the Sun, the comet is now a naked-eye object.

Comet Nishimura is also called C/2023 P1. Ever since it was discovered, the comet has been increasing in brightness.

Source : NASA

Comet Nishimura is a rare, green comet discovered in early August 2023. It is named after Hideo Nishimura, an amateur astronomer who discovered it as part of 30-second exposures with a standard digital camera. Comet Nishimura is also called C/2023 P1. Ever since it was discovered, the comet has been increasing in brightness. Astronomers have also determined its path across the inner solar system. Comet Nishimura will be at its closest to Earth on September 12, 2023, according to NASA. Since Comet Nishimura has entered Earth's orbit around the Sun, the comet is now a naked-eye object. On September 17, the comet will be at its closest to the Sun.

During Comet Nishimura's last visit to the inner solar system, it expelled ice and dust, and these are believed to have created the Sigma Hybrids meteor shower which peaks every year in December. If this is true, the Sigma Hybrid's meteor shower is likely to become more active and refreshed with new comet debris. 

The long ion tail of Comet Nishimura has been produced as a result of interactions between the dust and ice of the comet, and solar wind. 

In the second half of September, Comet Nishimura will not only get close to the Sun, but will also enter the orbit of Mercury. This may cause Nishimura's nucleus to break up. 

At the time of writing, Comet Nishimura is a part of the Leo constellation. According to Star Walk, an astronomical application for stargazing, Nishimura has reached a magnitude of 4.0. Nishimura's astronomical name is "C/2023 P1" because "C" indicates the fact that it is a non-periodic comet, which means that it originates from the Oort cloud, and passes through the solar system only once, or takes 200 to thousands of years to orbit the Sun. 

Since the comet was discovered in 2023, in the first half of August, the phrase "2023 P1" has been used. In the International Astronomical Union (IAU) comet naming system, the letter P corresponds to the first half of August. Nishimura is also the first such object to be discovered in the first half of August. 

According to Star Walk, Nishimura means "western village" in Japanese. 

When and how to watch Comet Nishimura

In order to spot Comet Nishimura in the night sky, one can either watch a livestream on YouTube, or go to a region devoid of light pollution and where the sky above is clear. One can use the Star Walk 2 app to search for the location of Comet Nishimura. The app will show the direction of the comet. The best time to view the comet is after sunset.

On September 12, Nishimura will be seen close to the star Zosma in the constellation Leo. 

On September 14, Nishimura will be located close to the star Denebola in the constellation Leo. 

On September 15, Nishimura will enter the constellation Virgo. On September 17, Nishimura, while remaining in the constellation Virgo, will reach perihelion, which means that the comet will reach the point in Earth's orbit where it will be closest to the Sun. At this point, Nishimura will have a 2.9 magnitude, and hence, will be visible to the naked eye. 

On September 21, Nishimura will be located near the star Porrima in the constellation Virgo. 

The Northern Hemisphere will have the best view of Comet Nishimura.