Comet Leonard: Everything You Need to Know About the ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Comet | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel

A comet.

(NASA/NRL/STEREO/Karl Battams)

On December 12, the Comet Leonard—dubbed as the “once in a lifetime” comet—will pass closest to Earth, blanketed in a greenish glow.

Named after Gregory J Leonard, the astronomer who discovered it back in January 2021, the Leonard or C/2021 A1 comet will approach the Earth after nearly 35,000 years. And although it is expected to be closest to our planet on December 12, the comet will be visible throughout most of the month.

A little about Leonard

Leonard is a long-period comet from the extreme reaches of the solar system. At its farthest point from the Sun, the aphelion distance stretches to a whopping 3,700 AU (1 AU is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun).

It has an orbital period of 80,000 years. That, however, is going to change.

According to current calculations, the comet will be ejected from the solar system after passing the Sun, bound for interstellar space and never to return. It is likely to pass through another star system light-years away, just like the interstellar objects 1I/’Omuamua and 2I/Borisov recently passed through our solar system.

The comet, which was located around the heart of NGC 4631 (better known as the Whale Galaxy at the time) was spotted by Gregory Leonard in the images taken from the Mt. Lemmon Observatory in Arizona. The discovery came in January 2021, exactly a year before its predicted closest approach to the Sun on January 3, 2022.

When and where can you catch Comet Leonard?

The best time to catch Leonard would be early in the morning, towards the East, a couple of hours before sunrise. It will be at its highest point in the sky just before dawn.

In the first weeks of December, Leonard can be seen in the east-northeast quadrant of the sky. During its closest approach to Earth, the comet will pass between Arcturus, the brightest star in the Bootes constellation, and the handle of the Big Dipper asterism.

It’s worth noting that since it passes through multiple constellations in a matter of days, if you set out an hour or two to observe the comet, you will likely notice it moving against the background stars in a single viewing session.

After sunset on December 14, the comet will be visible in the evening sky. And while comet Leonard will be closest to Earth on December 12, astronomers believe that December 17 will be the best day to see it.

Can the Comet Leonard be viewed easily?

This is a tricky question because as comets go, the class Leonard belongs to is known to be unpredictable when it comes to visibility. However, given this particular comet’s brightness, experts believe that Leonard will be visible to the naked eye. Still, carrying a binocular or a telescope is advised.

For those who cannot witness the cosmic spectacle in person, a live viewing has been arranged on the night of December 11. The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome, Italy, will host a free internet viewing event for this comet beginning at 11:15 p.m. CST (10:45 a.m. IST on December 12). More information about the viewing can be found here.

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