What would be the maximum distance from which a space ship could physically see a planet?

A plot point of my novel is that the pilot accidentally finds a planet that is being purposefully hidden (i.e. been deleted from all star maps). It starts with him arriving at a location that is just empty space. Other than distant stars, there's nothing physically around him. There is a minefield of jammers though that prevent him from scanning the area so he starts searching the area and after some time, starts to see a distant planet out of the cockpit.

What would be a realistic distance would the ship be in order for the pilot to physically see a planet (comparable to Earth in size, temperature and age) out of his ship?

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What would be the maximum distance from which a space ship could physically see a planet?

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