C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)

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C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
Semi-major axis
57 AU
(comparable to Eris)[4]
Eccentricity0.9961 (1800)[2]
0.9959 (2200)
Orbital period≈431 years (inbound)[2]
≈406 years (outbound)
Max. orbital speed88.7 km/s @ perihelion[3]
Inclination132.5°
66.8°
Argument of
periapsis		116.3°
Last perihelion17 September 2023 15:24[3][4]
≈1588–1592[5][2]
Next perihelion≈2430 Feb[6]
Earth MOID0.078 AU (11.7 million km; 30 LD)[4]
Jupiter MOID2.3 AU (340 million km)
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		12.7[4]

C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is a long-period comet discovered by Hideo Nishimura on 12 August 2023.[7] The comet passed perihelion on 17 September 2023 and reached an apparent magnitude of about 2.5.[8]

Observational history

Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered the comet in images he obtained using a 200-mm f/3

PanSTARRS were identified by Robert Weryk extending the observation arc to seven months. The comet appeared in them as a stellar object with an apparent magnitude of about 22.[5]

The comet brightened rapidly and by 27 August its apparent magnitude was estimated to be 7.3 and its coma to have a diameter of 5 arcminutes, while a thin ion tail 1.5–2 degrees long is visible in photographs.

LD) from Earth but was only 15 degrees from the glare of the Sun.[11]

On 17 September 2023 the comet came to

coronograph of STEREO, without showing signs of disintegration.[15] The comet was also observed by Parker Solar Probe on 27-28 September 2023, during encounter 17.[16]

Orbital characteristics

With an

aphelion (farthest distance from the Sun) in 2227,[17] and return around the year 2430.[6]

Perihelion
passages[5]
302
723
1169
1588–1592[2]
2023-09-17
2430 Feb[6]
C/2023 P1 closest Earth approach on 12 September[11]
Date and time of
closest approach 		Earth distance
(AU) 		Sun distance
(AU) 		Velocity
relative to Earth
(km/s) 		Velocity
relative to Sun
(km/s) 		Uncertainty
region
(
3-sigma
) 		Solar
elongation
12 September 2023 ≈09:20 0.838 
LD
)		 0.292 AU (43.7 million km; 27.1 million mi; 114 LD) 107.0 77.9 ± 300 km 14.9°

Meteor shower

Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) may be related to the Sigma Hydrids meteor shower that is active November 22 to January 18 (peaking around November 30).[9]

The position of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the starry sky in September 2023:
- On September 1 at an apparent magnitude of 6.5m in the upper right corner of the constellation Cancer.
- From September 7 to 9 at an apparent magnitude of just over 4m half to the upper right in the head of the constellation Leo.
- On September 17 at an assumed apparent magnitude of 2m left center in the constellation Virgo.
- On September 30 at an assumed apparent magnitude of 6m in the lower left corner on the boundary between the constellations Virgo and Raven Corvus.

Gallery

  • The comet on 30 August, from an online telescope
    The comet on 30 August, from an online telescope
  • The comet on 6 September, with a telephoto lens
    The comet on 6 September, with a telephoto lens
  • The comet in the dawn sky on 9 September
    The comet in the dawn sky on 9 September
  • Comet Nishimura as seen from STEREO on 22 September
    Comet Nishimura as seen from STEREO on 22 September

References

  1. ^ a b c "Electronic Telegram No. 5285". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  2. ^
    barycenter (Sun+Jupiter). Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
    Epoch 1800: PR= 1.577E+05 / 365.25 = 431 years (inbound)
    Epoch 2200: PR= 1.484E+05 / 365.25 = 406 years (outbound)
    Epoch 1800 Tp of Julian day 2302476.6 converts to 1591.
  3. ^ a b c d "Horizons Batch for C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) on 2023-Sep-17" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database: C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  5. ^ a b c "CBET 5291 : COMET C/2023 P1 (NISHIMURA)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. ^ a b c "Horizons Batch for C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) on 2430-Feb-04" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  7. ^ Miller, Katrina (8 September 2023). "Don't Miss Comet Nishimura This Weekend, a Once-in-a-Lifetime View - For the next few mornings, just before sunrise, the cosmic snowball will glow green low on the horizon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2023 Dec. 9: North)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "CBET 5290 : COMET C/2023 P1 (NISHIMURA)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  10. ^ a b "Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) observation list". cobs.si. COBS - Comet OBServation database. Retrieved 10 September 2023. (2023-09-08 02:23 and 2023-09-07 02:23 Piotr Guzik. Inst T = E is naked eye)
  11. ^ a b "Horizons Batch for C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) on 2023-Sep-12" (closest Earth approach occurs when deldot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2023-08-20. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  12. ^ Dickinson, David (18 August 2023). "Comet P1 Nishimura Could Be Bright Over the Next Few Weeks". Universe Today. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Farewell Nishimura! Comet P1 moves into the southern hemisphere sky". www.skyatnightmagazine.com. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  14. ^ Seiichi Yoshida. "C/2023 P1 ( Nishimura )". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  15. ^ Lea, Robert (20 September 2023). "Comet Nishimura photobombs NASA spacecraft after its close encounter with the sun (photos)". Space.com. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Encounter 17 Summary | Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe". wispr.nrl.navy.mil. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Horizons Batch for C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in 2227" (Aphelion occurs when rdot flips from positive to negative). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
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