Stargazers in the northern hemisphere get a once-in-437-year chance to observe the comet as it reaches peak visibility just weeks after being identified
A comet called Nishimura discovered just a month ago could be visible to the naked eye this weekend, offering stargazers a once-in-a-437-year chance to observe the celestial visitor.
The ball of rock and ice, whose exact size remains unknown, is named after the Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura who first spotted it on 11 August.
It is rare that comets reach their moment of peak visibility so soon after being discovered, said Nicolas Biver, an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory.
The comet swings by the sun only every 437 years, he said, a long orbital period which sees it spend much of its time in the freezing outer solar system.
When comets approach the sun from the vastness of space, the heat causes its ice core to turn into dust and gas, which form a long tail.
For stargazers, the comet will be easiest to observe this Saturday and Sunday, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
The original article contains 313 words, the summary contains 155 words. Saved 50%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A comet called Nishimura discovered just a month ago could be visible to the naked eye this weekend, offering stargazers a once-in-a-437-year chance to observe the celestial visitor.
The ball of rock and ice, whose exact size remains unknown, is named after the Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura who first spotted it on 11 August.
It is rare that comets reach their moment of peak visibility so soon after being discovered, said Nicolas Biver, an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory.
The comet swings by the sun only every 437 years, he said, a long orbital period which sees it spend much of its time in the freezing outer solar system.
When comets approach the sun from the vastness of space, the heat causes its ice core to turn into dust and gas, which form a long tail.
For stargazers, the comet will be easiest to observe this Saturday and Sunday, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
The original article contains 313 words, the summary contains 155 words. Saved 50%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!