Still unknown at the beginning of August 2023, comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura continues its journey from the borders of the Solar System to its closest point to the Sun. On its way, it will “graze” the Earth on September 12 and will thus become visible without instruments, before the first light of the morning. Discovered on August 11, 2023 from Japan by Hideo Nishimura, comet C/2023 P1 continues to make headlines. As it continues to slice through the Solar System, approaching its closest point to the Sun (perihelionperihelion), the object will pass “near” the Earth. On September 12, its trajectory will take it to our neighborhood, 125 million kilometers away. Its visibility having greatly increased for more than a month, some astronomers are announcing that the magnitudemagnitude of Nishimura would oscillate around 3, or even 2, from the start of next week. To the delight of observers of the celestial vault. Visible with binoculars and telescopes, and soon with the naked eyeInitially discovered in the constellation of Geminiconstellation of Gemini, the comet now prances in the constellation of Leoconstellation of Leo. It becomes visible to astronomers based in the northern hemisphere, before the first light of the morning. On the morning of Sunday, September 10, Nishimura will show up between 4:50 a.m. and 5:10 a.m. On September 12, it will pass slightly below the star Delta Leonis, still in the constellation Leo. It will gradually fade from view as it approaches the Sun. The comet has been a delight for astrophotographers since its discovery, but there is no need to equip yourself with a powerful camera to admire its passage. Currently, a small telescope or a good pair of binoculars are more than sufficient. Fortunately, Nishimura’s luminosity will increase, until the body becomes visible to the naked eye. C/2023 P1 releases more gasgas than cometary dust. If it looks spectacular in photographsphotographs, it will appear more tenuous without an instrument. For early risers, this is a unique opportunity: Nishimura’s next crossing of the Solar System will only take place in 300 years, assuming that it survives the powerful radiation of the Sun at its perihelion… The ascension dazzling comet Nishimura: a spectacle not to be missed!Discovered in mid-August 2023, comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura continues its journey within the Solar SystemSolar System, getting closer to the Earth and its perihelion. As astronomers learn more about this new object, its brightness gradually increases and could become visible to the naked eye in the coming weeks. Article by Dorian de SchaepmeesterDorian de Schaepmeester, published August 31, 2023 In the constellation Gemini, the object C/2023 Nishimura, still unknown to amateur and professional astronomers a month ago, continues to gain visibility. Discovered on August 12 by experienced observer Hideo Nishimura, from the town of Kakegawa located in Japan, this “new” comet is currently prances towards the inner layers of the Solar System. Over the next few weeks, it will approach Earth, approximately 125 million kilometers from our Planet on September 12. Its trajectory will take it as close as possible to the Sun: it will reach its perihelion on September 17 and will brush past the star at 33 million kilometers. Nishimura, visible to the naked eye? Nothing is less certain…Across the world, astronomers focus their instruments, binoculars and telescopes, on this luminous point located more than 200 million kilometers away. In just a few days, C/2023 P1 has gained visibility. On August 20, the comet’s magnitude was 10.4. Today it hovers around 7.9, its brightness increasing day after day. To observe it, it is necessary to use an instrument and benefit from a sky free of light pollutionlight pollution, shortly before dawn. If certain experts and journalists (including the author of these lines) mentioned a few weeks earlier a potential visibility with the naked eye during the month of September, an interview published by Space.com with Daniel Green, astronomer with the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegram (CBAT), questions this assertion. Its position in the morning sky could greatly dim the comet’s brightness, making it imperceptible to the naked eye. In addition, the latter releases more gas than dust. However, it is the cometary dust that offers the spectacular views. At the same time, new details about the comet continue to be acquired by astronomers. If it was previously indicated that the object’s trajectory is hyperbolic, C/2023 P1 turns out to have a periodic, closed-trajectory orbitorbit. Speculation about the place of origin of the comet is rife, probably emanating from the Oort cloud, a remnant of the protoplanetary disk formed beyond the borders of the Solar System, after the Kuiper beltKuiper belt. Astronomers are now trying to calculate the periodicity of C/2023 P1’s passages near Earth. According to estimates, the comet could then return to our neighborhood in around 300 years. A new comet observable with the naked eye from September 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 coming weeks and potentially become visible to the naked eye in mid-September. Article by Dorian de Schaepmeester, published on August 20, 2023 By scanning the sky and its morning glow, Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered a comet on August 11, several million kilometers from Earth. Detected in the constellation Gemini and named 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 and clear night skies. Observe the comet in mid-September However, you will have to be quick to seize the moment: with its hyperbolic orbit, this interstellar objectinterstellar 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 his journey through the Solar System. But the comet could also experience a much more… explosive end. The increase in heatheat as it travels near the star would be likely to disintegrate it, 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 crescendo increase in the brightness of comet Nishimura. — Never miss a single Futura magazine by subscribing! 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