The comet might be glimpsed with the eye alone, the tricky thing will be to catch it at just the right time after sunset, not too early (when bright twilight will wash it out) and not too late (when it will have set). Ordinary 7×35 or 10×50 binoculars from a discount store will surely show it to you (if your sky is dark). So Comet Leonard is the best comet we’ve had this year. C/2021 A1 (Comet Leonard) DecemComet Leonard: Once in a lifetime Mag 2.6!? Comet leonard is brightening more than expected! It’s been much-anticipated, and it’s turning out to be quite a fine object for viewing!ĮarthSky 2022 lunar calendars now available! They make great gifts. And, as recent activity shows, there’s always the possibility of brightness outbursts as Comet Leonard draws nearer and nearer the sun.īy the way, astronomer Greg Leonard discovered this comet as 2021 began, giving it its name. Comets are typically brightest around perihelion, and the comet has been brightening and is still getting brighter. ET on December 17 (02:08 UTC on December 18).Ĭomet Leonard will round the sun at perihelion on January 3, 2022, at a distance of about 56 million miles (0.6 AU, or 90 million km). Closest to Venus, closest to sunĬlosest approach to Venus was at 9:08 p.m. I couldn’t see the comet at all in real time, even searching through binoculars.” Thank you, John! Remember, you need a dark sky if you want to search for Comet Leonard. Leonard showed a little bit of coma and tail through the atmospheric haze, to the camera at least. John wrote: “Comet Leonard sets behind southern Arizona’s sacred Baboquivari Peak, illuminated by a 96% moon, during nautical twilight on December 16.
| John Ashley was in Arivaca, Arizona, last night when he caught Comet Leonard – 2021’s best comet – in the evening sky. Space Physics ? DecemView at EarthSky Community Photos. Taken by Dan Bush on Albany, Missouri, USA. Its exceptionally close pass of bright Venus (2.6 million miles, or 4.2 million km) happened on December 17-18. And it’s near Venus, the brightest planet! Comet Leonard swept closest to Earth on December 12, 2021, passing some 21 million miles (34 million km) away. And – although we’re not hearing reports of people viewing the comet with the unaided eye – Comet Leonard is still a good binocular comet. So keep watching the comet this week!Īs always, dark skies are recommended for this diffuse object. New reports on December 20 also indicate its tail is slightly bigger. Is it having outbursts as it nears its closest point to the sun in January? We heard on December 15, and again around December 19-20, that the comet had brightened more than expected. Comet Leonard is 2021’s best cometĬomet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) – 2021’s best and brightest comet – is now in the evening sky for Northern Hemisphere observers. Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) from La Parguera, Lajas, PR by Raymond Negrón.
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