SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Mike Olason
Location of Photo:
Tucson, Arizona
Date/Time of photo:
5 August 2021, 1129 UT
Equipment:
11" SCT and STF-8300M CCD Camera
Description:
These images show Comet C/2021 O1 (Nishimura) on August 5 during it's close approach to Earth. The comet was 158 million miles from Earth and magnitude 9. Unfortunately the comet was just above the eastern horizon in bright morning twilight so the images do not show much detail other than the comet coma in a bright sky. The image insets to the right were computed by Astrometrica which used stars visible in the images to calculate the magnitudes and position of the comet for the times shown in the insets, G is the calculated magnitude for each inset image. The comet will reach perihelion in it's orbit on 12 August 2021 when it will be 74 million miles from the Sun. The comet is on the other side of the Sun from Earth and it will soon be lost in the glare of the Sun until December.
