C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
Comet C/2023 P1 imaged from Spain on 25 August 2023
Discovery[1]
Discovered by Hideo Nishimura
(Kakegawa, Japan)
Discovery date 12 August 2023
Designations
MPC designation C/2023 P1
Alternative designations HN00003
Orbital characteristics[4]
Observation arc 223 days (7.4 months)
Earliest precovery date 19 January 2023
Number of
observations 402
Aphelion 114 AU (1800)[2]
110 AU (2200)
Perihelion 0.225 AU (33.7 million km; 87.6 LD)[3]
(73% of Mercury's perihelion)
Semi-major axis 57 AU
(comparable to Eris)[4]
Eccentricity 0.9961 (1800)[2]
0.9959 (2200)
Orbital period ≈433 years (inbound)[2]
≈407 years (outbound)
Max. orbital speed 88.7 km/s @ perihelion[3]
Inclination 132.5°
Longitude of
ascending node 66.8°
Argument of
periapsis 116.3°
Last perihelion ≈1588 July[5]
Next perihelion 17 September 2023 15:25[3][4]
Earth MOID 0.078 AU (11.7 million km; 30 LD)[4]
Jupiter MOID 2.3 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. With an observation arc of seven months, the orbital period of the comet is estimated to be 435 years.[4] An eccentricity of 0.996 gives the comet a semi-major axis (average distance from the Sun) of about 57 AU,[4] which is comparable to the average distance of Eris at 68 AU.
Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered the comet in images he obtained using a 200-mm f/3 telephoto lens mounted on a Canon EOS 6D on 12 August 2023, when the comet was 1.0 AU from the Sun. He also found it in images he exposed the previous night.[1] Pre-discovery images from 19, 24, and 25 January 2023 from 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 upon discovery was located in the dawn sky and moving closer to the Sun and has been less than 50 degrees from the Sun since April 2023. Its apparent magnitude was estimated to be around 10–11.[1] The comet brightens 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.[6]
It is possible that it could be bright enough to observe with binoculars in the first days of September before sunrise.[7] On 12 September 2023 the comet will pass 0.84 AU (126 million km; 78 million mi; 330 LD) from Earth but will only be 15 degrees from the glare of the Sun.[8] Then 5-days later on 17 September 2023 it will come to perihelion 0.22 AU from the Sun.[3][4] The comet will be briefly in the evening sky in mid September, being 5 degrees over the horizon 30 minutes after sunset at 35° north latitude.[9] Even though the comet might reach a naked eye apparent magnitude of around +2, it may be difficult to locate against the glare of the Sun.[10]
Kilde:
LINK : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2023_P1_(Nishimura)
