https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12480915/Newly-comet-visible-naked-eye-lifetime-event.html
Once in a lifetime' green comet is now visible to the naked eye and won't appear again until 2317 - here's how and when to see it
Comet Nishimura, which takes 500 years to orbit sun, was discovered last month
It will be just 78 million miles from Earth at its closest approach on September 12
It has been 26 years since Hale–Bopp became one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century.
And while there's no suggestion another space rock will match its brightness any time soon, sky-watchers can still enjoy the 'once in a lifetime' visit of a new green comet that can be seen with the naked eye.
Comet Nishimura was only discovered last month but is already proving to be quite the spectacle, with astronomers encouraging people not to waste the 'rare and exciting' opportunity to see it.
The green comet, which is shooting through space at 240,000 miles per hour, will make its closest approach to Earth just before dawn next Tuesday (September 12).
It can already be seen in the hour after sunset and hour before dawn by looking east-north-east, astronomers say, while peak visibility is expected next week when the space rock is just 78 million miles away.
Professor Brad Gibson, director of the E A Milne Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Hull, said people only get the chance to see a naked eye comet like Nishimura about once a decade.
He added: 'The comet takes 500 years to orbit the solar system, Earth takes one year, and the outer planets can take many decades.
'Halley's Comet, which caused much interest during its last nearby visit to Earth in 1986, takes 76 years to orbit the solar system.
'So, to say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Nishimura isn't an exaggeration.'
Nishimura may be visible to the naked eye, but having a pair of binoculars or a telescope will make it even easier to spot.
Stargazers can also use apps such as SkyView, Sky Guide and Night Sky to help find the precise location of comets such as this one.
Many of them use augmented reality, so you can point your smartphone's camera up at the night sky to see which constellations, planets and other objects you are looking at.
Comet C/2023 PI is named after Japanese astrophotographer Hideo Nishimura, who recorded it when he was taking long-exposure photographs of the sky with a digital camera on August 11.
Scientists are still trying to estimate Nishimura's size but think it could range from a few hundred metres to potentially a mile or two in diameter.
The problem is, they might not have long to find out.
Professor Gibson said Nishimura will pass closest to the sun on September 17, when it will be just 27 million miles away.
But at this distance there is a real chance it may not survive the fly-by, he warned.
However, there is no danger of Nishimura hitting Earth because astronomers have carefully charted its orbit and speed of travel.
Professor Gibson also said the comet could be responsible for an annual meteor shower named the Sigma-Hydrids, which takes place in December every year.
Comets get their distinctive tails from speeding closer to the sun, because the heat liberates gas from their icy bodies.
Tiny particles of dust and rock are also freed when this happens, which is what leads to meteor showers.
pepe comet with a few 17's