Bis zum nächsten Monat – dann gibt es weitere Gründe, den Blick nach oben zu richten!

Viel Spaß beim Sternegucken mit ������.

Weiterführende Literatur

Zwei furchterregende Himmelsobjekte nähern sich an diesem Halloween: der östliche Schleiernebel und der Zauberernebel.

Wenn der Herbst über die nördliche Hemisphäre hereinbricht, offenbart der Nachthimmel zwei seiner geheimnisvollsten Wunder, die zu flüstern scheinen. Nehmen Sie in dieser Jahreszeit Ihr Teleskop zur Hand und lassen Sie Ihren Blick zu den Sternbildern Cygnus und Cepheus schweifen. Dort erwarten Sie zwei himmlische Schatten: der östliche Schleiernebel (NGC 6992) und der Zauberernebel (NGC 7380).

Wenn Sie diesen Herbst mit Ihrem Teleskop den Himmel absuchen, halten Sie bei diesen unheimlichen Objekten inne. Der östliche Schleiernebel und der Zauberernebel erinnern uns daran, dass sich einige Gestalten still zwischen den Sternen verstecken und auf diejenigen warten, die sich die Zeit nehmen, sie zu beobachten.

Klarer Himmel und viel Spaß beim Beobachten.

Viel Spaß beim Sternegucken mit ������.

Weiterführende Literatur

Im Oktober wird es früher dunkel, Nebel steigen auf und die Sterne scheinen sich zu vermehren. Es ist der Monat, in dem Fantasie und Wissenschaft verschmelzen – in dem jeder Lichtpunkt zu einem kosmischen Rätsel wird.

An Halloween verwandelt sich der Himmel in eine seltsame Szenerie: Silhouetten von Zauberern, Sternengeistern und magischen Kugeln verstecken sich zwischen den Sternen … und es liegt an Ihnen, uns dabei zu helfen, sie zu entdecken.

Um Sie zu inspirieren, haben wir drei faszinierende Himmelsobjekte beobachtet, die die bevorstehende Ankunft von Halloween ankündigen:

Jetzt sind Sie an der Reihe zu beobachten – schnappen Sie sich Ihre Teleskope und begleiten Sie uns auf dieser himmlischen Jagd vor Halloween!

In unserem nächsten Newsletter werden die besten Beobachtungen vorgestellt (mit Ihrer Erlaubnis).

Bis zum nächsten Monat mit weiteren Gründen, nach oben zu schauen!

Viel Spaß beim Sternegucken mit ������.

Weiterführende Literatur

Further readings

Getting a paper published in a scientific journal is a major achievement for any scientist, giving them the chance to share the new discoveries they’ve made. But you don’t need to have a fancy degree or work at a university to make scientific discoveries. With the right tools, anyone can contribute to science.

In just the past few years, Unistellar Citizen Astronomers have been recognized in multiple scientific publications on exoplanets, space missions and more. That comes thanks to the partnership between Unistellar and the SETI Institute, which gives astronomers access to Unistellar Network data for their research. As research grows in scope, astronomers simply don’t have the resources to make all the observations they need to understand our universe. That’s where Unistellar Network members come in.

A map of member locations around the globe.��

Future observations can help astronomers discover new exoplanets, get better data on the size and orbit of potentially hazardous Near-Earth Asteroids, and keep an eye on ongoing space missions. Unistellar has lots of resources for Citizen Astronomers – plus, the ease-of-use of the Unistellar telescopes and dedicated app make doing Citizen Astronomy fun and approachable for anyone.

To learn more, check out our index of scientific publications featuring Unistellar Network contributions:

Peer-Reviewed Articles

• Sicardy, B., et al., Constraints on Trito atmospheric evolution from occultations: 1989-2022, A&A, in press, 2024 https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.02476

• Graykowski, A. et al., Faint Comet Detection with Unistellar eVscopes,�� Research Notes of the AAS, Volume 8, Issue 2, id.41. , 2024 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ad25f9

• Pereira, C. L. et al., the two Rings of (50000) Quaoar, A&A, 673 L4, 14, 2023

• Graykowski, A. et al., Light Curves and Colours of the Ejecta from Dimorphos after the DART impact, Nature 6161, 5957, 461-464, 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05852-9

• Yoshida, F. et al., Multi-chord observation of stellar occultation by the near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon on October 3, 2021 (UTC) with very high accuracy, Publication of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 75, 1, 2023 https://academic.oup.com/pasj/article/75/1/153/6947807
• Lambert, R. et al., Rotation Period Determination for (7335) 1989JA, Minor Planet Bulletin, 50,1, 16-17, 2023 https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2023MPBu…50…16L
• Peluso, D. O., et al., The Unistellar Exoplanet Campaign:�� Citizen Science Results and Inherent Education Opportunities, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2135, 1043, 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05852-9
• Perrocheau, A., ��������������������������������������������������������������������������A 16 Hour Transit of Kepler-167 e Observed by the Ground-based Unistellar Telescope Network. The Astrophysical Journal Letters��940.2 (2022): L39.
• Cazeneuve, D., et al., ODNET, The Astrophysical Journal, 165, 1, 11, 2023 https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2023MPBu…50…16L
• Sibbernsen, K. 2022. Electronic telescopes and their use in astronomy education. The Physics Teacher, 60(5), 394.
• Barbosa, D., Coelho, B., Bergano, M., Magalhães, C., Mendonça, D., Silva, D., Correia, A.C. M., Pandeirada, J., Ribeiro, V., Esposito, T., Marchis, F., 2022. Cyber-Cosmos: A new citizen science concept in a dark sky destination. Acta Astronaut. 200, 612–619.
• Pearson, K.A., Beichman, C., Fulton, B.J., Esposito, T.M., Zellem, R.T., Ciardi, D.R., Rolfness, J., Engelke, J., Fatahi, T., Zimmerman-Brachman, R., Avsar, A., Bhalerao Varun, D., Boyce, P., Bretton, M., Burnett, A.D., Burt, J., Fowler, M., Gallego, D., Gomez, E., Guillet, B., Hilburn, J., Jongen, Y., Kataria, T., Kokori, A., Kumar, H., Kuossari, P., Lekkas, G., Marchini, A., Meneghelli, N., Ngeow, C.-C., Primm, M., Samantaray, S., Shimizu, M., Silvis, G., Sienkiewicz, F., Swain, V., Tan, J., Tock, K., Wagner, K., Wünsche, A., 2022. Utilizing a global network of telescopes to update the ephemeris for the highly eccentric planet HD 80606 b and to ensure the efficient scheduling of JWST. The Astronomical Journal 164.5 (2022): 178.
• Wang, X.-Y., Rice, M., Wang, S., Pu, B., Stefánsson, G., Mahadevan, S., Radzom, B., Giacalone, S., Wu, Z.-Y., Esposito, T.M., Dalba, P.A., Avsar, A., Holden, B., Skiff, B., Polakis, T., Voeller, K., Logsdon, S.E., Klusmeyer, J., Schweiker, H., Wu, D.-H., Beard, C., Dai, F., Lubin, J., Weiss, L.M., Bender, C.F., Blake, C.H., Dressing, C.D., Halverson, S., Hearty, F., Howard, A.W., Huber, D., Isaacson, H., Jackman, J.A. ~G., Llama, J., McElwain, M.W., Rajagopal, J., Roy, A., Robertson, P., Schwab, C., Shkolnik, E.L., Wright, J.T., Laughlin, G., 2022. The Aligned Orbit of WASP-148b, the Only Known Hot Jupiter with a nearby Warm Jupiter Companion, from NEID and HIRES. The Astrophysical Journal Letters��926, L8.
• Dalba, P.A., Kane, S.R., Dragomir, D., Villanueva, S., Collins, K.A., Jacobs, T.L., LaCourse, D.M., Gagliano, R., Kristiansen, M.H., Omohundro, M., Schwengeler, H.M., Terentev, I.A., Vanderburg, A., Fulton, B., Isaacson, H., Van Zandt, J., Howard, A.W., Thorngren, D.P., Howell, S.B., Batalha, N.M., Chontos, A., Crossfield, I.J. M., Dressing, C.D., Huber, D., Petigura, E.A., Robertson, P., Roy, A., Weiss, L.M., Behmard, A., Beard, C., Brinkman, C.L., Giacalone, S., Hill, M.L., Lubin, J., Mayo, A.W., Močnik, T., Akana Murphy, J.M., Polanski, A.S., Rice, M., Rosenthal, L.J., Rubenzahl, R.A., Scarsdale, N., Turtelboom, E. V, Tyler, D., Benni, P., Boyce, P., Esposito, T.M., Girardin, E., Laloum, D., Lewin, P., Mann, C.R., Marchis, F., Schwarz, R.P., Srdoc, G., Steuer, J., Sivarani, T., Unni, A., Eisner, N.L., Fetherolf, T., Li, Z., Yao, X., Pepper, J., Ricker, G.R., Vanderspek, R., Latham, D.W., Seager, S., Winn, J.N., Jenkins, J.M., Burke, C.J., Eastman, J.D., Lund, M.B., Rodriguez, D.R., Rowden, P., Ting, E.B., Villaseñor, J.N., 2022. The TESS-Keck Survey. VIII. Confirmation of a Transiting Giant Planet on an Eccentric 261 Day Orbit with the Automated Planet Finder Telescope. The Astronomical Journal. 163, 61.
• Marchis, F., Malvache, A., Marfisi, L., Borot, A., Arbouch, E., 2020. Unistellar eVscopes: Smart, portable, and easy-to-use telescopes for exploration, interactive learning, and citizen astronomy. Acta Astronaut. 166, 23–28.
• Zellem, R.T., Pearson, K.A., Blaser, E., Fowler, M., Ciardi, D.R., Biferno, A., Massey, B., Marchis, F., Baer, R., Ball, C., Chasin, M., Conley, M., Dixon, S., Fletcher, E., Hernandez, S., Nair, S., Perian, Q., Sienkiewicz, F., Tock, K., Vijayakumar, V., Swain, M.R., Roudier, G.M., Bryden, G., Conti, D.M., Hill, D.H., Hergenrother, C.W., Dussault, M., Kane, S.R., Fitzgerald, M., Boyce, P., Peticolas, L., Gee, W., Cominsky, L., Zimmerman-Brachman, R., Smith, D., Creech-Eakman, M.J., Engelke, J., Iturralde, A., Dragomir, D., Jovanovic, N., Lawton, B., Arbouch, E., Kuchner, M., Malvache, A., 2020. Utilizing Small Telescopes Operated by Citizen Scientists for Transiting Exoplanet Follow-up. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 132, 054401.

Conference Proceedings

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Lambert, R., Dalba, P., 2022. New Astronomy with the Unistellar Network, in: IAC 2022 Congress Proceedings, 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France.

• Lambert, R. A., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Blaclard, G., Sgro, L. A., Giorgini, J. D., Plavchan, P., White, T., Verveen, A., Goto, T., Kuossari, P., Sethu, N., Loose, M. A., Will, S., Sibbernsen, K., Pickering, J. W., Randolph, J., Fukui, K., Huet, P., Guillet, B., Clerget, O., Stahl, S., Yoblonsky, N., Lauvernier, M., Matsumura, T., Yamato, M., Laugier, J.-M., Brodt-Vilain, O., Espudo, A., Kukita, R., Iida, S., Kardel, S., Green, D., Tikkanen, P., Douvas, A., Billiani, M., Knight, G., Ryno, M., Simard, G., Knight, R., Primm, M., Wildhagen, B., Poncet, J., Frachon, T., Shimizu, M., Jackson, A., Parker, B., Redfern, G., Nikiforov, P., Friday, E., Lincoln, K., Sweitzer, J., Mitsuoka, R., Cabral, K., Katterfeld, A., Fairfax, M., 2022. Citizen science astronomy with a network of small telescopes: the launch and deployment of JWST, in: Marshall, H.K., Spyromilio, J., Usuda, T. (Eds.), Ground-Based and Airborne Telescopes IX, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series. p. 121822Z.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Peluso, D., Blaclard, G., Asencio, J., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., Carter, B., 2021. Outreach and scientific Results With The Largest Network of Backyard Astronomers — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2021 Congress Proceedings, 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Barbosa, D., Coelho, B., Bergano, M., Magalhães, C., Mendonça, D., Silva, D., Correia, A., Pandeirada, J., Ribeiro, V., Esposito, T., Marchis, F., 2021. Cyber-Cosmos: a new Citizen science concept in a Dark Sky Destination — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2021 Congress Proceedings, 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Conference Abstracts

• Graykowski A., Lambert R. A., Marchis F., Cazeneuve D., Dalba P. A., et al. 2023. Citizen Science Observations of the Ejecta from Dimorphos after the DART Impact. in: Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference Abstracts. #2297
• Graykowski, A., Lambert, R.A., Marchis, F., Esposito, T. M., Sgro, L. A., Weaver, I., Peluso, D. O’C., Dalba, P. A. 2023. Monitoring Variable Cometary Activity with Citizen Science Using the Unistellar Network. in: AAVSO 112 Annual Meeting Abstracts
• Graykowski, A. and Marchis, F. 2023. Monitoring Cometary Activity and Characterizing the Outbursts of 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann and 12P/Pons-Brooks using Citizen Science Observations. in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P44B-07
• Hanuš, J et al., 2023 Stellar Occultation by Asteroids: the contribution of Unistellar’s network of citizen astromnomers, 55th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences, 312.04, Vol. 55,8
• Bruno Guillet, Tom Esposito, Arin Avsar, Franck Marchis, Daniel Peluso, and 130 citizen astronomers, 2022. Détections d’exoplanètes par des astronomes amateurs du réseau Unistellar, Posters aux journées 2022 de la SF2A, Besançon (France) Juin 2022
• Bruno Guillet, Franck Marchis, Joé Asencio, Ryan Lambert, Paul Dalba, Guillaume Blaclard, and several citizen astronomers, 2022. Détections d’astéroïdes et d’engins spatiaux par des astronomes amateurs du réseau Unistellar,�� Posters aux journées 2022 de la SF2A, Besançon (France) Juin 2022

• Esposito, T., Avsar, A., Marchis, F., Dalba, P., Peluso, D., 2022. Hot and Cold Jupiters: Exoplanet Transit Results from the Unistellar Citizen Scientist Network, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 339.07.

• Hanus, J., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Durech, J., 2021. Lightcurve observations of near-Earth asteroids with the Unistellar’s network of citizen astronomers, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. SY55C-0361.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Klavans, V., Blaclard, G., Peluso, D.O., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., 2021. Citizen Science and Scientific Results from the Worlds Largest Network of Backyard Astronomers, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. SY55A-04.

• Hanus, J., Durech, J., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Blaclard, G., 2021. Physical Properties of Near-Earth Asteroids, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P33A-02.

• Cazeneuve, D., Marchis, F., Blaclard, G., Asencio, J., Martin, V., 2021. Detection of Occultation Events by Machine Learning for the Unistellar Network, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P11B-12.

• Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Peluso, D., Durech, J., Vereš, P., Blaclard, G., Demuys, I., Nachury, L., 2021. The Contribution of the Unistellar Network for Planetary Defense: Empowering Crowd-sourcing Astronomy, in: 7th IAA Planetary Defense Conference. p. 271.

• Dunham, D., Dunham, J., Buie, M., Preston, S., Herald, D., Farnocchia, D., Giorgini, J., Arai, T., Sato, I., Nolthenius, R., Irwin, J., Degenhardt, S., Marshall, S., Moore, J., Whitehurst, S., Venable, R., Skrutskie, M., Marchis, F., Ye, Q., Tanga, P., Aissa, D.B., Grigahcene, Z., 2021. Accurate NEO Orbits from Occultation Observations, in: 7th IAA Planetary Defense Conference. p. 37.

• Esposito, T. M., Avsar, A., Peluso, D., Marchis, F., Santana, P., Klavans, V., Nachury, L., 2021. TESS Planet Candidate Follow-up by Citizen Scientists in the Global Unistellar eVscope Network, in: Posters from the TESS Science Conference II (TSC2), held virtually, id.155. .

• Marchis, F., Peluso, D., Esposito, T., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., Unistellar Science Team, 2021. A Large Citizen Science Astronomy Network for All of Us, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 412.06.
• Esposito, T. M., Marchis, F., Peluso, D., Avsar, A., Zellem, R. T., 2021. Transiting Exoplanet Followup by Citizen Scientists with the Global Unistellar eVscope Network, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 239.03.
• Asencio, J., Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Veres, P., 2020. Planetary Defense With a Network of Compact, Smart and Low-Cost Digital Telescopes, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. NH037-0008.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Demuys, I., Peluso, D., Veres, P., Zellem, R., Nachury, L., 2020. Enabling and Empowering Citizen Science in Astronomy With a Network of Small Digital & Smart Telescopes, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. ED025-06.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Demuys, I., Peluso, D., Veres, P., Zellem, R., Hanus, J., Nachury, L., 2020. First Results With a Network of Small Digital & Smart Telescopes: Citizen Science For Astronomy, in: AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts. p. 413.02.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Malvache, A., Peluso, D., Vereš, P., Hanuš, J., 2020. Unistellar: The largest citizen science astronomy network for all of us — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2020 Congress Proceedings, 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) — IAC CyberSpace Edition , 12–14 October 2020.

• Marchis, F., Arbouch, E., Peluso, D., Harman, P. K., Malvache, A., Bertin, E., Zellem, R., Veres, P., 2019. Citizen Science Astronomy with the Unistellar Network: From Planetary Defense to Exoplanet Transits, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. ED14A-03.

• Marchis, F., Arbouch, E., Bertin, E., Malvache, A., Vereš, P., Zellem, R.T., 2019. Citizen Science Astronomy with the Unistellar Network: From Planetary Defense to Exoplanet Transits, in: EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019. p. EPSC-DPS2019-898.

Further readings

Wir freuen uns, Ihnen ein bedeutendes Update unserer Unistellar-App ankündigen zu können: Ab dem 3. Januar 2024 ist Version 3.0 verfügbar. Bei dieser Weiterentwicklung hat unsere Benutzeroberfläche ein neues Design erhalten. Mit dieser optischen Neuerung starten wir in eine neue Ära der Smart-Teleskope von Unistellar.

��

Im Mittelpunkt des Updates standen die Überarbeitung der Benutzeroberfläche und neue Funktionen, die das Benutzererlebnis verbessern. Damit schafft diese neue Version die Voraussetzungen für künftige Erweiterungen. Als Reaktion auf das Feedback unserer Community haben wir mehrere neue Funktionen umgesetzt. Im Folgenden möchten wir Ihnen drei dieser Neuerungen vorstellen:

Further readings

Step outside on a crisp October evening, and you’ll find the heavens adorned with celestial wonders that seem tailor-made for the Halloween season. From eerie-shaped clusters to cosmic apparitions, this month’s night-sky spectacles will send shivers down your spine.��

Follow our Halloween observing guide to enjoy some of these boo-tiful deep sky objects as you prepare for tricks, treats, and Unistellar telescopes!

All-Level Targets

These bright objects are easy for anyone to observe, and some are visible from both hemispheres!

��

The Wizard Nebula imaged and processed by John Bradley.

The Tarantula Nebula, imaged by the Unistellar team.

The Ghost Bush Cluster imaged by Unistellar observer Michel Dubeau.

The Owl/E.T. Cluster imaged and processed by Richard Bright.

Mirach imaged by David Rowe. You can see the fuzzy-looking Mirach’s Ghost, NGC 404, above the star and to the left!

There’s plenty of other great targets to see this month, creepy or not! From the Northern Hemisphere, check out the White Rose Cluster, often called Caroline’s Rose or the Ghost Cluster. In the Southern Hemisphere you can see the Bat Nebula in the later half of the night!

Challenge Targets

For more challenging targets, find these next few frightening objects! These are dimmer or more diffuse celestial sights that you may need to observe via Enhanced Vision for longer than the All-level targets if you want to experience their full, eerie effects.

��

The Superman Galaxy imaged and processed by Unistellar observer John Short.

The Skull Nebula, imaged by Unistellar observer David Hein.

A composite image of the Bubble Nebula by the Unistellar Team.

Further readings

A new month brings a new crop of celestial wonders for astronomers everywhere to view. This September brings a flurry of nebulae and star clusters with it, meaning you’ll be able to get your fill of stars in all stages of life this month! We’ve got some of each for you to find with your Unistellar Telescope, including one cluster with a curiously missing centerpiece.

Many of these September sights lie in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, which hosts a rich tapestry of deep sky objects due to its location on the galactic plane. This stellar pattern is one of the Northern hemispheres’ high-in-the-sky Autumn gems, but is still visible for some Southern hemisphere observers (it will be quite low on the horizon for those at very Southern latitudes). So let’s dive into the Swan and its neighbors to visit the fascinating targets that this month has to offer.

All-Level Targets

These bright objects are easy for anyone to observe, and many are visible from both hemispheres!

��

Albireo captured by David Rowe with Enhanced Vision.

M39 imaged by Unistellar observer Michel Dubeau.

The Cocoon Nebula imaged and processed by David Rowe.

The Angelfish Cluster, imaged by Unistellar observer Emmanuel Marchal.

The Sumer Beehive imaged and processed by John Bradley.

There’s plenty of other great targets to see this month. For example, both the Fireworks Galaxy and the Veil Nebula are primely placed in Cygnus, and other dim nebulae like the Little Ring Nebula (NGC 6894) may pose a fun challenge. Check you Unistellar app catalog to see what’s up in the sky!

Challenge Targets

For more challenging targets, find these next three objects! These are dimmer or more diffuse celestial sights that you may need to observe via Enhanced Vision for longer than the ones in the previous section if you want to see all them in all their glory!

��

The Hole in The Cluster imaged by the Unistellar team.

The Crescent Nebula imaged and processed by Matthieu Carbon.

The Iris Nebula imaged and processed by Richard Bright.

NGC 6951 imaged by Jacques Bérard & Nicole Ruel back in 2021, when a supernova was spotted to have erupted in this galaxy!

Further readings

Comet Nishimura Flies Close to the Sun

This newfound comet is getting brighter as it nears its close approach to Earth on September 12, so now is the perfect time to watch it soar through the sky – by the time it’s nearest to Earth, it will be quite low on the horizon. You’ll have to get up early to spot it, as you can see it best in the hours before dawn, but it is well worth the loss of a little sleep!

„Comet Nishimura is quickly brightening in the morning sky and may be visible with the naked eye next month,” says Dr. Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer of Unistellar and Senior Planetary Astronomer with the SETI Institute. ”As summer draws to a close, Comet Nishimura provides a splendid astronomical gift. Presently, it displays a captivating greenish coma, and its activity is expected to intensify as it nears its closest approach to the Sun on September 17. Be sure to gaze skyward at dawn, and take your telescope out to truly enjoy this celestial wanderer.”

Comet Nishimura imaged and processed by Unistellar observer Anouchka N.

As Comet Nishimura gets brighter, it may indeed become a binocular object or even a naked-eye sight to those in dark skies. Predictions show it could reach 2nd magnitude (about the brightness of Polaris, the North Star) during its Solar approach, when it will be closer to the Sun than Mercury. By then, however, Comet Nishimura will be so close to the Sun that it will be difficult to see. So it’s best to get your observations in while you still can! Especially since Comet Nishimura is sweeping so close to our star that its nucleus (the comet’s icy core) may break up and in that case, it will be gone for good.��

Observing Comet Nishimura now could certainly pay off – as the comet nears the Sun, it may show increases in activity and even an outburst, like in the case of Comet Pons-Brooks. Members of the Unistellar Network stand a chance to witness such an outburst or, with some luck, even its disintegration. So take a bet on Comet Nishimura and point your telescope upwards while you still can!

Comet Nishimura through an eVscope live view (top), via Enhanced Vision (left) and with Nocturne (right). Captured by Aad Verveen (Netherlands).

How Can You Observe Comet Nishimura?

Even though comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) was just discovered this month, you can still find it easily! Right now, it is visible to Northern Hemisphere observers, although it will become observable to the Southern Hemisphere in November if it survives its proximity to the Sun. Comet Nishimura is not in the Unistellar App catalog, but all you need to do is visit our Comet Ephemeris Page to contribute to this mission:

• Once on the page, in the Ephemeris Parameters section, select C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) as your target and enter the location where you’ll be observing, as well as the date and local time.��
• Click on Generate to get your results. After a few seconds, the Ephemeris Results section will be generated with a list of celestial coordinates for your night. Each line corresponds to the position of your target at a specific time.
• If Comet Nishimura is visible from your location, you will be able to click on the smartphone icon (containing a Deep Link) that will open your Unistellar App and fill the Cometary Activity section with the proper fields. If your target is not visible, a crossed-out eye icon will appear.��
• When you are ready to observe, access the Comet Ephemeris Page from your phone or tablet. Then, click the Deep Link for your observing time. It will automatically open the Cometary Activity tab of Science Mode in your Unistellar App. If the Right ascension and Declination box are filled with the correct coordinates, click on Goto to point to your target.��
• To make a Science Observation: Once Goto is done, if the Record duration, Exposure time, and Gain are correct, you can click on Save. For this target, Record duration = 20 min, Exposure time = 3971 ms, and Gain = 25 dB.��
• When you are ready, click on the Record button to start the observation.

And that’s it – you can always visit our Comets Tutorial page for more guidance on how to make your observation for this comet that is NOT in the App Catalog. If you have any questions regarding this process, direct them to citizenscience@unistellaroptics.com. Happy comet watching!

Further readings

Among the rocky and ringed planets in our Solar System are countless small objects whirling around the Sun. These objects fall into two broad categories: asteroids and comets. The difference between comets and asteroids largely comes down to composition. Comets are made of ice and rock, and asteroids are made of rock and metal. However, both these bits of rock and ice and metal are left overs from the formation of the planets 4.6 billion years ago – which is why some scientists refer to them affectionately as “space junk.”

Comets are also sometimes called “dirty snowballs” because they’re usually conglomerations of ice and rocks, and often covered in dark dust. Asteroids are divided into many different types based on what they’re made of, which can be rock, metal, or a combination of the two. The distinction between the objects is due to where they originate: comets formed farther out in the Solar System, where their ices could stay solid due to the cold temperatures, whereas asteroids formed in a warmer environment closer to the Sun.

The makeup of the Solar System. Many asteroids reside in the asteroid belt between Saturn and Jupiter, while comets tend to orbit from the outer reaches of our planetary system – the Kuiper belt and beyond. Credit: NASA

Crowd-sourced observations of the Comet ATLAS from Unistellar Network members in Europe on April 11, 2020. The tail makes the comet highly visible!

Observing comets and asteroids with Unistellar

Both comets and asteroids are visible with a Unistellar Telescope, and we regularly update our network when one might be visible. Unistellar observers are invited to seek out these objects, and even submit their observations that help astronomers studying this “space junk.” In 2022 alone, our network made 1,449 observations of nine different comets and 985 observations of 32 near-Earth asteroids! That included observing the history-making Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid, as well as a target of the Lucy mission.

Professional and amateur astronomers study asteroids to better understand their size and orbit, which can be very important for Potentially Hazardous Asteroids that might pose a threat to our planet. In the case of comets, skygazers keep an eye on them to track their activity as they travel near and away from the Sun.

Both teach astronomers about the earliest stages of our Solar System, since they serve as time capsules from those formative years. So perhaps they are not “space junk,” but rather, “space treasure” – and you can observe both these types of treasures with the Unistellar Network!

Further readings