CNN Indonesia
Monday, 11 Sep 2023 13:45 IWST
Comet Nishimura, which was discovered some time ago, will show off its sparkling tail on Tuesday (12/9) a few hours before dawn. (Photo: Dan Bartlett via NASA)
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Komet Nishimura which was discovered some time ago will show off its shiny tail on Tuesday (12/9) a few hours before dawn.
“The best time to observe comet Nishimura is on September 12 a few hours before dawn. At that time, comet Nishimura is in the constellation Leo with a magnitude of 4.6, bright enough to be observed with the unaided eye,” wrote the Bosscha Observatory in a post on its account. Instagram on Tuesday (22/8).
Comet Nishimura is a comet that was newly discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer, Hideo Nishimura on August 11, 2023. This comet, named comet C/2023 P1, is also called after its discoverer.
Since its discovery, the comet has grown brighter as it moves across the inner solar system in its orbit around the Sun.
This comet will reach its closest distance to Earth on Tuesday (12/9) at a distance of 125 million kilometers.
After passing close to Earth, this comet will continue to move towards the Sun until it is closest to the center of the solar system on September 17. According to co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp and founder and president of the Earthrise Institute Alan Hale, this comet will be 34 million kilometers away at that time.
Quoted from CNNNishimura completed one orbit every 430 to 440 years, meaning the last time it passed close to the Sun (and may have come close to Earth) was around 1590, before telescopes were invented.
“We didn’t know if the object was bright enough to be seen with the naked eye at that time,” said Paul Chodas, director of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Furthermore, Hale said there were no comets recorded during that time frame that appeared to match Nishimura, but they were certainly bright enough to be visible.
How to see Comet Nishimura
This comet is not too bright to be seen from Earth because it is far away and will move closer to the horizon, so binoculars will really help observations.
In addition, it is highly recommended to be in a place with dark skies and away from city lights to provide optimal observation.
To distinguish comets from other objects in the night sky, remember that a comet’s tail will always point away from the Sun because the Sun’s light continues to push against the fine dust particles.
Then, although the comet appears greenish in photos because of the diatomic carbon, it will appear almost colorless or slightly pink through binoculars because sunlight reflects off the dust grains.
For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, Chodas recommends looking toward the east-northeast horizon about half an hour before dawn.
(lom/dmi)
Watch the Video Below:
2023-09-11 06:45:07
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