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Thursday 7 September 2023

Comet C 2023 P1, Nishimura

Discovered by the Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura as recently as August, this long-term periodic comet is currently in the eastern sky just before dawn  (4.00am-ish!) in the constellation of Leo. It should just about be visible with the naked eye at around magnitude 5, but will possibly become easier to pick out as it passes around the Sun and into the evening sky after the weekend. 

I've had several attempts at finding Nishimura, but we've had five days of pre-dawn mist from the North Sea: fingers crossed the 'seeing' in Norfolk will improve soon!

The photo below is from the public domain, and shows what can be achieved using a 300mm lens with Astrotracker or a driven mount...

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