• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Comet Leonard is here

C/2021 A1 Leonard is in Serpens (Serpens Caput) at around magnitude 6 now. Possibly naked eye in very dark skies & good eyes. Should be easy with binoculars or small scope.
Looks like maybe Sunday night before it's clear enough here to see it. I read it's not ever coming back into the inner solar system so this is your one chance to see it.
C/2021 A1 has been inside of the orbit of Neptune since May 2009. Using an epoch of 1950 which is well before the comet entered the planetary region of the Solar System, a barycentric orbit solution suggests the comet had roughly a 80 thousand year orbital period. Therefore the comet had spent the last 40 thousand years inbound from approximately 3,700 AU (550 billion km). After perihelion the comet will be ejected from the Solar System. The barycentric orbit will remain hyperbolic after September 2022.

The object is about 1 km (0.62 mi) across and is likely to break apart as it approaches the sun. It will approach Venus, passing within 4 million km (2.5 million mi) of the planet, the closest-known cometary approach in recorded history to Venus.
Click to expand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2021_A1_(Leonard)


67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko is in Cancer now at magnitude 8-9. That's the one Rosetta landed on.
 
Just went to check but it's like -30 out there so I did not stay long enough to let my eyes adjust as I was cold. Didn't see anything but I may try again tomorrow. Probably still too early to see it well. Big dipper is nearly straight up at this time of year and sorta up side down.
 
I found a smudge in the sky at the right spot. Are we looking straight into the tail now or was I seeing something else?
 
IronWing said:
Watch Lifeforce; it's a documentary about comets. Patrick Stewart is in it.
Click to expand...
I remember that I watched it as a kid in the 80s, but damned if I can remember anything. Off to look at Wikipedia to refresh my memory...

Yeah, I think I should revisit it sometime 🙂
 
It's getting brighter. Depending on the site it's around magnitude 5 now.
I was looking at my sky chart the other night & there's really no good time to see this thing for a bit. It's rising in the East in the mornings & setting in the West around nightfall. It's best positioned in the sky right about noon EST.

It's currently in Ophiuchus between M10 & M14 but it's moving pretty fast across the sky relative to the constellations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top