Rare Green Comet Nishimura Bids Farewell, Won't Return for 400 Years

Comet P1 Nishimura's visibility in the northern hemisphere has come to an end, and now it's the turn of southern hemisphere sky watchers to observe the comet before it fades from view. Although it didn't reach the predicted brightness to be seen with the naked eye, it was still observed and photographed by a small number of people. The comet is now visible in satellite images and shows no signs of disintegrating. Southern hemisphere observers will have the opportunity to see the comet low in their evening sky as it tracks past Mars, gradually growing fainter until it disappears for over 400 years. Despite the end of the Comet Nishimura show for northern observers, there are always other comets to see on clear nights, with dozens available for observation, although most require a telescope.