Where to see comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in mid September
UPDATE 2023-09-19: The comet reached perihelion on 2023-09-17. It is moving southward, and so the advantage that far northern observers had last week is over. Because of its close apparent proximity to the sun, the comet will now be pretty hard to find without a computerised (goto) telescope mount. For some days after perihelion, the comet becomes very difficult to observe. It will fade rapidly during this time, keeping close to the sun in the sky, and observers in the southern hemisphere will be better positioned to see it.
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Original description:
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) was discovered recently and is now visible for a few more days in the evening sky from far Northern latitudes. It will probably NOT be spectacular because the sky will not get very dark before the comet sets each evening.
Visibility of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from The Hague, NL at 20:45 CEST (UT +2):
2023-09-14 azimuth = 287 degrees ~ 10 degrees right of sunset point
2023-09-15 azimuth = 283 degrees ~ 6 degrees right of sunset point
2023-09-16 azimuth = 279 degrees ~ 2 degrees right of sunset point
2023-09-17 azimuth = 276 degrees ~ 1 degree left of sunset point
2023-09-18 azimuth = 272 degrees ~ 5 degrees left of sunset point
Star charts from Cartes du Ciel: https://www.ap-i.net/skychart//en/start
UPDATE 2023-09-15: Further information from Sky and Telescope: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy...
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