Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Japanese amateur astronomer, NISHIMURA Hideo discovered a new object; the prospects for a bright new comet in September.

The new object was discovered on August 12 with a 200-mm f/3 telephone lens, which was mounted on single-lens reflex camera manufactured by Japanese company Canon.

NISHIMURA was able to spot the new comet crossing the earth’s orbit before any automated survey.

This is NISHIMURA’s third comet discovery and so it was cataloged as C/2023 P1 (Nishimura.)

When the comet was discovered, it was reportedly rapidly approaching the earth and the sun; the comet will make its closest approach to earth on Sept 12 at a distance of 125.3 million kilometers and its closest approach to the sun on Sept 17 at a distance of 33.66 million kilometers.

People will need to rise early in the morning one or two hours before sunrise, have good binoculars or a telescope, since it is not bright yet to see with the naked eye.

A dark sky without any bright lights will help in spotting the comet as well as the comet’s nightly path through the constellations plotted out to know exactly where to look.

From Aug 26 until Sept 4 the comet will continue to brighten reaching fifth magnitude and possibly becoming bright enough to see with the bare eye by Sept 5.

According to NASA, the comet could potentially break up or disintegrate when it comes near to the sun.

Comet Nishimura is not a new member of the solar system; its orbit is predicted to take 294 years to complete one circuit around the sun; next time comet Nishimura will make another presence in our sky will be in 2317.