The Moscow Planetarium announced that residents of Earth will witness a unique celestial event in mid-September. In a statement from the center, it was noted: "Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), discovered by Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura earlier this August, may become visible to Earth residents by mid-September 2023."
The statement added: "Given the unpredictability of comets, it is impossible to forecast the visibility of Nishimura to the naked eye in September, but there is a possibility that this may occur. As the comet approaches the sun, it vaporizes and begins to form its tail of gas and dust by mid-September. At the point when the comet's temperature rises, its brightness is expected to range between magnitudes 2 and 3, and if weather conditions are favorable with clear skies, people will be able to see the comet in the sky with the naked eye."
This comet was discovered on August 12 by the researcher and astronomer Hideo Nishimura, and the Minor Planet Center officially confirmed this discovery and designated it as C/2023 P1. On September 13, the comet is expected to be at least 34 million kilometers away from Earth, and on September 18, Nishimura will reach its point of "perihelion."
