第1944期:Newly Discovered Comet Won't Return for 400 Years

A newly discovered comet is passing through our solar system for the first time in more than 400 years. Scientists say star watchers across the Northern Hemisphere should look to the sky as soon as possible, either this week or early next. They say it will be another 400 years before the comet returns to our neighborhood. The comet’s official name is C/2023 P1 Nishimura. It is about one kilometer wide. Comet Nishimura will travel to within 125 million kilometers of the Earth on September 12.

一颗新发现的彗星400多年来首次穿过我们的太阳系。科学家表示，北半球的观星者应该在本周或下周早些时候尽快仰望天空。他们说彗星还要再过 400 年才会回到我们附近。这颗彗星的正式名称是 C/2023 P1 Nishimura。它宽约一公里。西村彗星将于9月12日前往距离地球1.25亿公里以内的地方。

The comet was discovered in August by a Japanese star watcher, Hideo Nishimura. He discovered the comet using 30-second-long exposures with a digital camera. The American space agency NASA says the comet has increased in brightness as it crosses our solar system. As the comet heads closer to the Sun, it will continue to get brighter. Early risers should look toward the northeastern horizon about 90 minutes before sunrise. The comet will be less than 10 degrees above the horizon making it difficult to see.

这颗彗星是由日本星星观察者西村秀夫于八月发现的。他用数码相机进行了 30 秒的曝光，发现了这颗彗星。美国宇航局表示，这颗彗星在穿过太阳系时亮度有所增加。随着彗星越来越接近太阳，它会继续变得更亮。早起者应在日出前约 90 分钟朝东北地平线看。这颗彗星与地平线的夹角不到 10 度，因此很难看到。

Paul Chodas is head of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. He said, “You really need a good pair of binoculars to pick it out and you also need to know where to look.” The comet will come closest to the sun on about September 17. Then it will leave the solar system. Chodas said that the comet is “likely to survive its passage,” meaning he does not believe it will burn up near the sun. Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi is the founder of the Virtual Telescope Project. He said in an email to the Associated Press that the next week represents “the last, feasible chances” to see the comet from the Northern Hemisphere before it is lost in the sun’s glare.

保罗·乔达斯 (Paul Chodas) 是美国宇航局近地天体研究中心的负责人。他说：“你确实需要一副好的双筒望远镜来挑选它，而且你还需要知道在哪里看。”这颗彗星将于9月17日左右最接近太阳。然后它将离开太阳系。乔达斯说，这颗彗星“很可能在通过过程中幸存下来”，这意味着他不相信它会在太阳附近燃烧。意大利天文学家詹卢卡·马西是虚拟望远镜项目的创始人。他在给美联社的一封电子邮件中表示，下周是在彗星消失在阳光下之前从北半球看到它的“最后的、可行的机会”。

“The comet looks amazing right now, with a long, highly structured tail, a joy to image with a telescope,” he said. If it survives its passage by the sun, the comet should be visible in the Southern Hemisphere by the end of September, Masi said. Professional astronomers use powerful telescopes around the world to watch the sky. It is unusual for a non-professional sky watcher to discover a comet these days. Chodas of NASA said of Nishimura’s discovery, “This is his third find, so good for him.” The comet last visited about 430 years ago, Chodas said.

“这颗彗星现在看起来很神奇，有一条长长的、高度结构化的尾巴，用望远镜成像很有趣，”他说。马西说，如果彗星在经过太阳时幸存下来，那么到九月底在南半球就可以看到这颗彗星。专业天文学家在世界各地使用强大的望远镜观察天空。如今，对于非专业的天空观察者来说发现彗星是很不寻常的。美国宇航局的乔达斯谈到西村的发现时说：“这是他的第三个发现，对他来说非常好。”乔达斯说，这颗彗星上次访问是在大约 430 年前。