The world of astronomy is completely fascinated with the passage of a comet that will be visible from Earth, in just three weeks. This rock has a surprising feature: It comes from the outskirts of our Solar System and will visit us only once, never to return..
Scientifically it is called C/2023 P1, but they call it Comet Nishimura by whoever discovered it, a Japanese amateur astronomer named Hideo Nishimura.
Its discovery is very recent. The Japanese astronomer detected it only on August 11 of this year and immediately announced it. before the space agencies to confirm that it is a rock never seen before.
Experts explain that the comet originated in the Oort cloud, a spherical cloud of comets that surrounds the Sun at a distance of between 10,000 and 100,000 astronomical units (AU), outside our stellar borders.
It is currently at its closest approach to the Sun, which will occur between September 13 and 18, 2023. At that time, the comet will be about 0.25 AU from the Sun, or about half the distance between Earth and Sun.
As the comet approaches our massive star, it heats up and evaporates. So that causes gas and dust escaping from the comet’s nucleus to form a coma that surrounds the nucleus.
The more this coma heats up, it expands and a huge tail is formed that will be visible from our planet, offering a unique visual spectacle in our existence.
The tail of Comet Nishimura will be colored green, which is due to the presence of carbon dioxide ions in the coma.
How to see the comet Nishimura?
Comet Nishimura will be visible from all over the world, but it will be easier to see from the northern hemisphere. The rock will be higher in the sky as it gets closer to the Sun, giving observers in the northern hemisphere a better view.
From the southern hemisphere, the comet will be low in the sky, making it difficult to observe. However, it will still be visible to stargazers with binoculars or a telescope.
The best places to view Comet Nishimura will be regions with dark skies and little light pollution.
A brand-new comet appears in the sky! ☄️ Say hello to the newly discovered comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) – it’s getting brighter and will be visible to the naked eye by mid-September. 🌠 Don’t miss out! Find all the details here:
✨https://t.co/mI6LFRFU5F— StarWalk (@StarWalk) August 17, 2023