A green comet will fly above us this week. But don’t blink — it won’t return until 2317
The discovery of a new comet nowadays is somewhat uncommon, and the discovery of one quickly approaching Earth is even rarer.
But a Japanese astronomer recently discovered a green-hued comet rapidly approaching our planet last month, and it’s now nearing its closest approach to Earth. But don’t blink, because once it’s gone, it won’t return toward Earth for another 294 years, according to Space.com.
Amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura of Kakegawa City, Japan, first discovered the comet on Aug. 12, resulting in the comet’s name: Comet Nishimura.
The green comet was visible for those across the Northern Hemisphere this past weekend, but it will continue to brighten over the coming week, allowing viewers the opportunity to see it with the naked eye or binoculars.
When will Comet Nishimura be visible?
The best time for those in the Pacific Northwest to see Comet Nishimura is a couple of hours before sunrise or after sunset, according to Space.com.
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday. After it passes Earth, the comet will continue on a trajectory toward the sun.
Comet Nishimura will become brighter as it approaches the sun because it’s largely composed of frozen gasses. Comets with such a composition burn more brilliantly in the night sky as they approach closer to heat sources because the gasses slowly melt, leaving a bright tail behind them, according to NASA.
So even though it’ll be closest to the Earth on Tuesday — about 77.9 million miles away — it’ll continue to burn brightly until its closest approach to the sun on Sunday. By this point, the comet will likely be too close to the sun for it to be visible with the naked eye, no matter how brightly it is burning.
Where to look in the Pacific Northwest
You can see the comet by looking east-northeast in the Pacific Northwest, according to Earth.com.
The comet could previously be seen with the naked eye, and while that may still be possible for a couple of days, the best chances this week will be using binoculars or a telescope. The comet will be close to the horizon and affected by the light from the sun, which makes it challenging to view.
“As we move through the early part of September, morning twilight will begin encroaching on its visibility,” Daniel Green, director of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, told Space.com. “It appears that what we are dealing with is primarily a comet that is emitting a lot of gas and very little dust.”
Most in the Pacific Northwest will have a chance to view the comet in the coming days, given they have the right equipment or are lucky enough to see it with the naked eye.
The National Weather Service forecasts Boise and the rest of Southern Idaho to have clear skies for the rest of the week.
Eastern Washington, which includes the Tri-Cities region, will also have mostly clear skies all week, while Western Washington around Puget Sound will experience rain and clouds Tuesday and Wednesday before the skies clear up through the latter half of the week.
