2023-09-13 04:09:39
The green comet is becoming increasingly brighter and can now even be seen with the naked eye – as a point of light in the constellation Leo. But if you want to see him, you have to hurry.
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What its name reveals about the comet
The greenish comet that is currently heading past Earth towards the Sun was only recently found. The comet was given the name “Nishimura” by its discoverer: the Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered the comet in his photographs on August 12, 2023.
The nickname C/2023 P1 reveals further details about the comet: The “C” stands for “non-periodic comet”. So the comet won’t come back for at least the next 200 years – if it returns at all. The designation 2023/P indicates the year of discovery and the rough period: “P” means that the comet was discovered in the first half of August. The “1” means it is the first such object found during this period.
Comet appears on the eastern horizon
Nishimura can now be seen with the naked eye – as a small point of light. If you want to observe the comet, you have to get up early: Around 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m Nishimura appears in the east. The comet is close to the horizon.
Since the city’s light pollution rivals the comet, observation away from artificial light sources, for example in the countryside, is recommended. A clear view to the east is also easier there. An exact Description of where you can find the comet in the starry sky, the Association of Star Friends has now published. Accordingly, the comet is currently passing through the constellation “Leo”.
The constellation Leo consists of nine stars. Currently, the constellation can be found below and slightly to the right of the Big Dipper on the horizon in the northeast early in the morning.
IMAGO / agefotostock
Comet tail visible with binoculars
The comet can be seen even better with aids. According to the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg, you can clearly see the comet’s halo through binoculars. You should also be able to see the typical comet tail easily with larger binoculars. The characteristic green color of the comet’s head and the bluish tail can be seen using a telescope or captured with a camera.
Comet Nishimura trails a trail of gas behind it. The atoms and molecules reflect sunlight, causing the tail – unlike the comet’s head – to appear bluish (Image: Dr. Sebastian Voltmer).
The comet is getting brighter
The comet can still hardly be distinguished from a star with the naked eye, but it is getting brighter. Because Nishimura comes closer to us and on the one hand becomes more visible. On the other hand, the closer it gets to the sun, the more it burns out and becomes even brighter. The hope is that it will soon be clearly recognizable as a comet, even without any aids.
With the telescope you can also see the green color of the comet, like here with comet C/2013 R1. Like all greenish comets, the green color is probably caused by a carbon compound.
IMAGO / StockTrek Images
According to current orbital data, Nishimura reaches its closest point to Earth on 12. September. At a distance of 125 million kilometers, it is actually a little closer to us than the sun.
But: Since the comet is heading towards the sun, it now rises a little later every day. From September 15th he will probably only appear after sunrise. Unfortunately, in competition with daylight, the comet can no longer be observed.
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