Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) has been discovered on August 11, 2023 by amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura. The comet will pass its perihelion on September 18, 2023, at a distance of 34 million kilometers from the Sun (or 0.23 Astronomical Units). During its journey, it will reach the closest approach to Earth on September 13, 2023 at a distance of 128 million kilometers (or 0.85 Astronomical Units). The maximum brightness will happen on September 17, when the comet is predicted to reach magnitude 5, which could make it potentially visible to the naked eye. On that day, from the Northern Hemisphere, attempts to locate comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky - which will be in the constellation of Virgo - should be made soon after sunset, as it will set about one hour after the Sun. Useful maps to locate the comet from your location can be obtained using TheSkyLive Planetarium.
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is currently in the constellation of Vela, at a distance of 572,197,407 kilometers from Earth.
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The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth is currently 572,197,407 kilometers, equivalent to 3.824903 Astronomical Units. Light takes 31 minutes and 48.6451 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) to Earth happens on Wed Sep 13 2023 at a distance of 0.853948 Astronomical Units, or 127,748,861 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) at epoch 13 August 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460170.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.04427384 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 129.16639834° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.22603538 AU 33,814,412 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Sep-18 00:18:34 2,460,205.5129 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 115.3336688248° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.947088814601° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -2.9914952905709° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.08543980°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 20 | 08h 31m 47s | -42° 21’ 23” | 20.37 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 08h 31m 45s | -42° 05’ 47” | 20.40 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 08h 31m 42s | -41° 50’ 21” | 20.43 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 08h 31m 42s | -41° 35’ 08” | 20.46 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 08h 31m 44s | -41° 20’ 08” | 20.49 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 08h 31m 45s | -41° 05’ 20” | 20.51 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 08h 31m 50s | -40° 50’ 44” | 20.54 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 08h 31m 54s | -40° 36’ 20” | 20.57 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 08h 32m 00s | -40° 22’ 09” | 20.60 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 08h 32m 08s | -40° 08’ 09” | 20.62 | Vela |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 08h 32m 16s | -39° 54’ 24” | 20.65 | Vela |
| 2024 May 01 | 08h 32m 26s | -39° 40’ 50” | 20.68 | Vela |
| 2024 May 02 | 08h 32m 36s | -39° 27’ 29” | 20.71 | Vela |
| 2024 May 03 | 08h 32m 48s | -39° 14’ 20” | 20.73 | Vela |