This bright comet is starting to get quite exciting.
It is currently (7th September 2023) visible low in the north-eastern sky just before sunrise as it moves through the constellation of Leo and it is brightening.
I captured this image of it on the morning of the 4th of September.
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Currently at magnitude +5.8 the comet is theoretically just becoming bright enough to be visible to the naked eye.
But as it is in deep twilight at that time of the morning so it is best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope.
This finder chart shows the path of the comet in the morning sky from the 7th to the 11th of September 2023.
It is getting lower in the sky each morning but is brightening and getting bigger as it approaches perihelion on the 17th of September..
Click on the image for a bigger view.
From around the 11th, Comet Nishimura will now be visible in the evening sky, low in the West-North-Western sky just after sunset.
It will set very quickly after the Sun though, so get out and make the most of it as the sky darkens before it sets.
If the tail is long and bright enough, this could be visible long into the darker sky after the nucleus of the comet has set.
This finder chart shows the path of the comet in the evening sky from the 11th to the 18th of September 2023 as it passes from Leo into Virgo.
Click on the image for a bigger view.
It will be even lower in the sky at that time, but just how bright will the comet get, and how long will that tail be?
The great thing about comets is that we just do not know, they can be very unpredictable.
It is predicted to achieve just greater than 3rd magnitude, and the tail has already been imaged extending up to 10° degrees.
The only way to make sure to see what happens is to get out and have a look and if it does perform, we could be in for a real treat.
Whatever happens, Enjoy!
Keep Looking up (but fairly low down for this one).
Dave