Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) over Stonehenge!

More images of the comet upstream in this thread.

Posted on the Stonehenge twitter site.
Credit: Nick Bull
https://twitter.com/EH_Stonehenge/status/1701207821293846983
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
6/n

Here is another outstanding image of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), this one taken by Sławomir Matz.

His post reads - "C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) photographed on September 7, 2023. The comet is currently popular in the media and can be visible to the naked eye. I wrote about her on Facebook! Look for the peja "Stars in the hands."

https://twitter.com/slawomir_matz/status/1700474968176226556
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
5/n

This glorious image of comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura was taken by Jeremy Perez, art director and photographer in Flagstaff, AZ.

Taken Sat. morning, Sep 9 from Cinder Hills Overlook/Sunset Crater in AZ.

He adds - "Canon 6DII + Canon EF 24-105 f/4 @ 105mm.
41 x 4 sec, f/4 @ ISO 12800 in Starry Landscape Stacker & Photoshop/Lightroom.
Tail length ~6°"

At 0.84 AU distance, the tail is ~13M km long!

https://twitter.com/jperez1690/status/1700750391812780274
Check out his website at http://www.perezmedia.net/
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
4/n

Here is another vivid image of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) by "comethunter" and astro-photographer Michael Jäger.

His post adds - "Comet Nishimura C/2023 P1 2023 sep. 9 2.48 UT 10x60sec Zeiss-Milvus f-135/2.5 Nikon Z50mod ISO 400 Michael Jäger."

https://twitter.com/Komet123Jager/status/1700456978194063573
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
3/n

The light curve below shows that comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is brightening up nicely. Current apparent magnitude is below 4 (lower is brighter).

In theory, objects with mag 6 and lower are visible to the naked eye, but currently the comet is low on the horizon during the early morning hours, so visibility depends on local conditions. Binoculars help.

After Sep 17, it will be too close to setting sun as seen from the northern hemisphere.

Source: http://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comet/2023P1
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
2/n

Some beautiful images of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) are getting posted online by amateur and professional astro-photographers, as the comet nears its closest approach to earth on Sep 12.

Let's take a look at a few.

This first one, posted on apod, was taken in eastern Slovakia by Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava.

Check out this earlier thread for some more info on the comet - https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/111008086190146961

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230911.html
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
1/n

Die #Kometenjagd auf #Komet #C2023P1 #Nishimura war im Grunde erfolgreich!
Viel gab es auch im 20x80 Bino nicht zu sehen, denn in Blickrichtung lag viel Dunst über dem Horizont. Gegen 5:00, als er aufgehen sollte, war unterhalb der Venus *nichts* zu sehen außer grauer Himmel. Erst ab 5:30 schälten sich 41 & 40 Leo aus dem Grau. Mit Geduld links davon gesucht, und irgendwann ein "milchiges Sternchen" gesehen, das beim Aufstieg deutlicher & etwas grünlich wurde! Mehr nicht, kein Schweif.
(1/2)

9月10日 4:30 C/2023 P1
F8 5sec ISO800
300mmよりトリミング
頑張って撮るぞ！と意気込んでいたら
テストショット1枚で曇りました😭
#西村彗星 #C2023P1
#PENTAX #K3II #東京市街地

Here is another stunning image of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) captured earlier today by maestro Michael Jäger.

This one shows the two tails of the comet - the long dust tail and the shorter ion tail.

The dust tail, consisting of vaporized ejecta from the comet, points away from the sun and slightly behind the comet, while the ion tail, made of ionized gases, points along the streamlines of the solar wind.

https://twitter.com/Komet123Jager
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_tail
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
11/n

Some articles and papers on the enigmatic quadruple bond in C2 -
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/calculations-reveal-carbon-carbon-quadruple-bond-/3000688.article
https://www.nature.com/articles/nchem.1263
https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/chem.201600011

C2 exhibits a triple bond as in N2, but has been shown to have a fourth weaker bond formed by the outer electrons.

#dicarbon #C2023P1 #Nishimura
10/n

Diatomic carbon C2 is a green, gaseous inorganic chemical. It is unstable at ambient temp. and pressure (it polymerizes).
It is found in flames, comets, stars and the interstellar medium.

From https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2113315118 -
"This work shows that, to break the quadruple bond of C2 using sunlight, the molecule must absorb two photons and undergo two “forbidden” transitions." (spin conservation and the Born–Oppenheimer approx).

Oh my!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomic_carbon
#dicarbon #C2023P1 #Nishimura
9/n

The green color seen in the coma of most comets, but not in their tails, is due to emissions from quad-bond Diatomic carbon (aka dicarbon) molecules.

Sunlight heats the comet’s ice and organic material to produce C2 molecules, which break apart in ~2 days before they reach the tail. C2 is excited by solar UV radiation and emits mostly in infrared but its triplet state radiates at 518 nm.

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.1.20220110a/full/
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2113315118
#dicarbon #C2023P1 #Nishimura
8/n

Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) was discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura on Aug 12, 2023, when the comet was 1.0 AU from the Sun.

Nishimura has discovered or co-discovered 3 comets, 23 Novas and 17 variable stars.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Nishimura
Article on amateur comet discoverers: https://www.cometchaser.de/discoverystories/Comet-discoverers.html
Image credit: Hideo Nishimura
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
7/n

Here is the path across the morning sky of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura).

It should not be difficult to locate, near the Leo constellation in the East, but it will be low in the dawn sky, so observability will be challenging depending upon visibility conditions.

The view below is from Denver at 7:15 a.m. local time on Sep 4.

Lots of additional info at https://theskylive.com/c2023p1-info
Map source: https://stellarium-web.org/
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
6/n

Here is the predicted light curve of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) and the actual measured values so far.

The comet will get close to Mag 2 at its peak, but may require some professional equipment and skills to observe and image it.

Check out this website by @giddgvb for some outstanding info on comets - http://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comet/2023P1
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
5/n

Here is a map of the inner solar system and the path of Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) over the next few weeks.

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=c%2F2023%20p1&view=VOP
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
4/n

Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) has a period of ~435 years and last visited the inner solar system in 1588. Its orbit extends out to 114 AU, far beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Its orbit is steeply inclined wrt to the ecliptic by about 132°.

It was recently discovered on Aug 12, 2023 by Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura.

Pre-discovery images from Jan 19, 24, and 25, 2023 from PanSTARRS were subsequently identified.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2023_P1_(Nishimura)
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/005200/CBET005291.txt
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
3/n

Here are some vital stats on Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2023_P1_(Nishimura)
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
2/n

Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is now about 0.98 AU from Earth, 0.5 AU from the Sun.

Closest approach to earth is on Sep 12, perihelion is on Sep 17.

It is one of the brighter comets, mag 2.7 at its brightest, sporting a nice tail, but difficult to see due to its proximity to the Sun.

Visible now low near the Horizon before Sunrise.

(1 AU = avg Sun-Earth distance = 150M km)

Image credit: Michael Jäger
https://twitter.com/Komet123Jager
#C2023P1 #Nishimura
1/n

#C2023P1 (#Nishimura) kometa joan den astean aurkitu zuten. Abiadura pixka bat hiperbolikoarekin eta orbita atzerakoiarekin, azkar hurbiltzen hari zaigu. Irailean goizean goiz kometa ikusteko une ona izan daiteke, Lurraren eta Eguzkiaren artean pasatzen denean.

#Espazioa #EguzkiSistema