Comet Leonard is the brightest comet visible in 2021 and December will be your only chance to see it before it’s gone forever.
The comet was first discovered in January by astronomer Gregory Leonard in Arizona and has likely spent the last 35,000 years traveling toward our sun, CNN reported. It will reach its closest point to our sun on Jan. 3, and after that, it won’t ever be seen again.
On Dec. 18, the comet will pass by Venus before it rounds the sun, and the closer it gets the easier it will be to see without a telescope, EarthSky reported.
The best time to see it after Dec. 17 will be in the evening sky. Look for Venus to the southwest, and the comet will be between Venus and the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere, NPR reported.
A recent visitor to our neighborhood- Comet Leonard. Image by Gianluca Masi pic.twitter.com/pKqalaNsfN
— Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) December 6, 2021
After the beginning of January, the comet won’t be visible from North America. The shape of the orbit means it will likely be flung out of our solar system after it passes Earth, Popular Science reported.
Comet Leonard will be around for the next 2 weeks. With a clear sky, we were able to take a couple of pictures. It is the green / blue mass in the center. #wywx #Astrophotography #comet pic.twitter.com/XlnmX7hqit
— NWS Riverton (@NWSRiverton) December 6, 2021
Saw #comet #Leonard this morning under exceptionally transparent, dark (Bortle class 2-3) skies! It is *easily* visible with the naked eye. In 11x70 binoculars beautiful bluegreen coma, with 4.5° tail. 10 min exp, 50 mm f/2.8, ISO12800, D7500. @StormHour @Comet2021a1 @xWxClub pic.twitter.com/qSG5poYggF
— Jure Atanackov (@JAtanackov) December 7, 2021
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