Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) has been discovered on August 11, 2023 by amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura. The comet will pass its perihelion on September 18, 2023, at a distance of 34 million kilometers from the Sun (or 0.23 Astronomical Units). During its journey, it will reach the closest approach to Earth on September 13, 2023 at a distance of 128 million kilometers (or 0.85 Astronomical Units). The maximum brightness will happen on September 17, when the comet is predicted to reach magnitude 5, which could make it potentially visible to the naked eye. On that day, from the Northern Hemisphere, attempts to locate comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky - which will be in the constellation of Virgo - should be made soon after sunset, as it will set about one hour after the Sun. Useful maps to locate the comet from your location can be obtained using TheSkyLive Planetarium.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is in the constellation of Pyxis, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) to Earth happened on Wednesday 13 September 2023 at a distance of 0.853948 Astronomical Units, or 127,748,861 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) at epoch August, 13 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460170.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.04427384 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 129.16639834° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.22603538 AU 33,814,412 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | September 18, 2023 2,460,205.5129 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 115.3336688248° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.947088814601° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -2.9914952905709° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.08543980°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 2025 | 08h 59m 31s | -33° 17’ 45” | 26.21 | Pyxis |
| Jul 11 2025 | 08h 59m 55s | -33° 16’ 59” | 26.22 | Pyxis |
| Jul 12 2025 | 09h 00m 19s | -33° 16’ 17” | 26.23 | Pyxis |
| Jul 13 2025 | 09h 00m 42s | -33° 15’ 39” | 26.24 | Pyxis |
| Jul 14 2025 | 09h 01m 06s | -33° 15’ 07” | 26.25 | Pyxis |
| Jul 15 2025 | 09h 01m 30s | -33° 14’ 38” | 26.25 | Pyxis |
| Jul 16 2025 | 09h 01m 54s | -33° 14’ 14” | 26.26 | Pyxis |
| Jul 17 2025 | 09h 02m 18s | -33° 13’ 55” | 26.27 | Pyxis |
| Jul 18 2025 | 09h 02m 43s | -33° 13’ 39” | 26.28 | Pyxis |
| Jul 19 2025 | 09h 03m 07s | -33° 13’ 29” | 26.29 | Pyxis |
| Jul 20 2025 | 09h 03m 32s | -33° 13’ 23” | 26.30 | Pyxis |
| Jul 21 2025 | 09h 03m 56s | -33° 13’ 20” | 26.31 | Pyxis |
| Jul 22 2025 | 09h 04m 21s | -33° 13’ 23” | 26.32 | Pyxis |
| Jul 23 2025 | 09h 04m 45s | -33° 13’ 29” | 26.32 | Pyxis |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)?: Key information on where to find comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in the sky.
- Distance of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from Earth: Find out how far comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) with respect to the major Solar System objects.