When, how and at what time to see it

Comet Nishimura is due to set soon and will not be visible on the evening horizons. The last days of September will be the last chance to see it. The trick, as when it comes to spotting stars, is to always look in the right place.

The comet can be seen very close to the sun, which has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it makes orientation very simple when trying to locate a comet. Since the best time to see it is at sunset, it is easy to locate it in the west and look for it towards the horizon.

Comet Nishimura at sunset

On the downside, the brightness of the Sun could overshadow the comet. The solution is to search for the comet just after sunset, which is after 6:40 PM Central Mexican Time. You have to be quick because the comet will only be visible for 30 minutes or less. A few minutes after 7 p.m., it will again set below the horizon, just as the sun did a few minutes ago.

In summary, the steps for seeing Comet Nishimura will be as follows:

• Locate the west, where the sun sets.
• The comet will be slightly higher than the sun, and we will have to wait for the sun to set and the intensity of its rays to decrease.
• The comet will be visible for a maximum of 30 minutes.
• Since the comet is located directly above the horizon, it is necessary to find a high and unobstructed place.
• From some points it can be seen without any attachments. In any case, it is recommended to have binoculars or a telescope.

There are some tools that can be used to simply locate a comet. For more oriented people, a compass can be enough, but for those who need more guidance, it is better to use specialized applications to find the stars, such as Star Walk 2. There are countless similar apps that use GPS and smartphone sensors to automatically find the star and tell the user where it’s going.

What is Comet Nishimura?

There are stellar objects on the horizon and we simply haven’t detected them. Last August 12 Hideo Nishimura discovered no less than a comet. He took a 30-second exposure photo with a standard digital camera to find out. The object that was unknown until a month ago is now officially Comet Nishimura.