This weekend we could see a comet that will appear again in 400 years: where to look

This week the Universe will present a cosmic gift - a recently discovered comet will streak past our planet. Having said hello to the Earth, the distant guest will leave it for more than 400 years. Green Comet C/2023 P1, or Nishimura, is already visible in the predawn sky, and over the weekend it will become brighter and visible without a telescope or even binoculars. Where to look and how to recognize a comet, the publication told Lifehacker.

Photo: IStock

How to see Comet Nishimura

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then in order to see the comet, you will have to get up early or go to bed later. On September 10, it will appear at 05:00. Each subsequent morning the comet will appear closer to sunrise until September 17, when it will become invisible due to solar glare. Tuesday, September 12, is the most favorable time for observations: it is on this night that Nishimura will be closest to Earth - only 78 million miles (125 million km).

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To find the comet, look for the crescent of the constellation Leo, located above the northeastern horizon an hour or so before sunrise. Nishimura will appear near the planet Venus. As time passes, the viewing window will become shorter and shorter, and the comet will appear lower and lower on the horizon until it finally disappears from behind the Sun.

You can literally see this comet once in a lifetime: if you miss this event, then the next time Nishimura will appear is in 2435 - provided that during this time it is not captured by the gravitational pull of the Sun and destroyed (this is unlikely, but possible).

Is it possible to see Comet Nishimura without binoculars?

Nishimura should be large and bright enough to be seen with the naked eye if you are in a location with clear skies and little light pollution. But even under such ideal conditions it will be barely noticeable. It is best to observe it with binoculars, a telescope or a camera designed for astronomical observations. With the right equipment, you can see the comet's green halo or take a slow shutter speed to better see its long tail.

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How Comet Nishimura was discovered

The comet's namesake, Hideo Nishimura, discovered this celestial object on August 11, 2023. Nishimura is an amateur astronomer and took the first image of the comet using a 30-second exposure on a consumer digital camera.

Astronomers aren't sure yet, but Earth's passage in the wake of Comet Nishimura may be responsible for the Sigma Hydrid meteor shower that occurs every December.

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