A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years.
Although visible to the naked eye, the comet is extremely faint.
The comet will come closest to the sun — closer than Mercury is — on about Sept. 17 before departing the solar system. That’s assuming it doesn’t disintegrate when it buzzes the sun, though Chodas said “it’s likely to survive its passage.” “The comet looks amazing right now, with a long, highly structured tail, a joy to image with a telescope,” he said.
Stargazers have been tracking the rare green comet ever since its discovery by an amateur Japanese astronomer in mid-August. The Nishimura comet now bears his name.
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