Sunday will be the best day to see Comet Nishimura, which will not return for 434 years

He kite Nishimura, which was discovered on August 12 by an amateur astronomer, can now be seen from the Landalthough the best day to appreciate all its splendor will be during the evening of Sunday the 17th, then it will pass by and will not return for 434 years.

“In recent days, the comet has been visible at dawn, but at a very low altitude above the eastern horizon before sunrise”The astronomer from the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN) Miguel Querejeta said in statements to EFE.

But from today “The comet begins to be visible at dusk, at a very low elevation above the western horizon, advancing from the constellation of Leo towards that of Virgo”noted the researcher.

The comet, which we technically know as C/2023 P1 and which was named Nishimura, in honor of the amateur astronomer who discovered it (the Japanese Hideo Nishimura), is located about 125 million kilometers away and continues to approach the Sun, therefore, at Throughout this week, its brightness will progressively grow.

According to calculations by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on Sunday, September 17, Nishimura will be only 34 million kilometers from the Sun. That day it will be at its perihelion, when it will reach its minimum distance from the Sun.

“At this time it is notably difficult or almost impossible to observe it with the naked eye, since its faint glow is lost in the glow of dawn,” but “it is possible that the comet will be seen with the naked eye, although with great difficulty, at the end This week”Querejeta explained.

To ensure the spectacle, the astronomer advised placing yourself in a clear place, without mountains or obstacles because the comet will pass “low above the western horizon”, and observe it with the help of binoculars or a small telescope.

And although it is very difficult to predict exactly how its brightness will evolve in the coming days, since as it approaches the Sun it can partially disintegrate, Querejeta gives us clues: “In long exposure photographs the comet has greenish tones, but to the naked eye (even with binoculars) it appears as a whitish spot in the sky.”

Nishimura is a long period comet, that is, with a very long orbit. The last time it visited Earth was in the 16th century and, according to astronomers’ estimates, it will not return for another 434 years.

Comets are amalgams of small particles of fine dust (residual minerals from the formation of the solar system) plus a proportion of ice, not only water but also methane and ammonia, among other compounds, as well as organic matter.

This loosely bound amalgam heats up as it passes close to the Sun, loses a large amount of gas and much of the water may remain liquid, so the comet’s interior weakens and may end up fragmenting.

These long-period comets come from the Oort cloud, a structure that surrounds the Solar System made up of billions of icy bodies, located (at its closest point) at a distance of about 2,000 times the distance between Earth and the Earth. Sun.

Source: EFE