Comet Nishimura was just discovered in the sky just before dawn

Small binoculars will be enough to enjoy the view, and some can even see it with the naked eye if weather conditions are right. Comet Nishimura, which was discovered just a month ago, is currently heading toward the Sun It shines to the fullest this weekend.

This small, rocky, icy body, whose exact size is not yet known, takes its name from Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura, who first spotted it on August 11. “It is rare to discover a comet very shortly before its maximum opacity. Most comets are discovered months, even years before their closest pass of the Sun.”Confirms Nicolas Biver, researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research at the Paris Observatory – PSL.

“C/2023 P1,” its scientific name, has a long-period orbit with a final pass near the sun Its history dates back to 437 yearsHe explained to Agence France-Presse. No trace of the last passage of this icy visitor has been found in astronomical archives, the astrophysicist explains.

When comets, these celestial bodies from cold regions of the solar system, approach our star The ice contained within its transcendent essence (It goes from the solid state to the gaseous state without going through the liquid state) and releases a long chain of dust that reflects sunlight. It is this shiny hair that we can notice from the ground.

Comet Nishimura will pass close to the Sun on September 17: it will then be 33 million kilometers from the star, i.e. “Less than a quarter of the distance from Earth to the Sun”It is 125 million kilometers away from Earth, according to Nicholas Pifer.

How to notice it?

We can already see it, and it will be the brightest this weekend, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. “I prefer to look at the sky before sunrise (around 6 a.m. in France, editor’s note), towards Northeast to the left of Venus (commonly called the shepherd’s star), With clear skies and no light pollution.”“, advises the researcher.

A small telescope will be enough to spot the comet, which some can see with the naked eye if weather conditions are good. The trail of Comet Nishimura is green, because it contains… “More gas than dust”.