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New Delhi: A rare green comet Nishimura, named after a Japanese photographer ‘Hideo Nishimura’, will be visible today on 12 September 2023, after reaching the closest point to Earth.
According to reports, the bright Nishimura comet formally known as C/2023 P1 is moving at 240,000 mph, and it won’t be possible to see it again for another 400 years.
Hideo Nishimura spotted the comet in August 2023 through his digital camera while he was imaging the sky before sunrise. He reported his observation to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
On 17 September 2023, the rare comet is expected to reach the closest point to the Sun know as Perihelion.
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.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMET NISHIMURA:
The following are some of the important things that you must know about Nishimura Comet.
- It is a green coloured rare comet. The green colour is caused due to a diatomic carbon molecule formed due to interaction between organic matter and sunlight, according to planetary.org.
- The comet was discovered by Hideo Nishimura in August 2023, and is named after him.
- Nishimura comet is about half a mile in size.
- After this year, the Nishimura comet will be visible in 2458 i.e. after 400 years.
- If the Nishimura comet successfully passed through the closest point of Sun, it will be visible in southern hemisphere by the end of September.
- Nishimura comet has been discovered by using a standard digital camera and a 200 mm telephoto lens.
- According to reports, the last time Nishimura comet might have passed through the earth was in 1588 because its orbit takes around 435 years around the sun.
- Nishimura comet is made up of rocks, ice, and dust.
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