Comet Leonard - GEORGE BISHOP

Comet Leonard 2021

January 12, 2023January 3, 2022

There’ve been some remarkable photos of Comet Leonard as it approaches the sun. Here are a few recent ones, taken from Sky and Telescope.

Braided flows of gas and dust stream from the head of Comet Leonard in a photo taken with an 8-inch telescope and QHY600 camera on December 24, 2021. Michael Jäger and Lukas Demetz.

Like water from a rotary lawn sprinkler, dust jets blast from the comet’s false nucleus in this carefully processed image from December 23, 2021. Michael Jäger, Lukas Demetz and Qi Yang

Comet Leonard shows off a pretty tail several degrees long on December 19, 2021, from Payson, Arizona. The comet’s altitude at the time was about 10°. Chris Schur

Comet Leonard – the New Year’s Comet

January 12, 2023November 4, 2021

Look for Comet Leonard–sighted just last year–to make a bright showing this New Year’s.

From EarthSky News:

Exciting news! A much-anticipated comet is brightening and still might become 2021’s brightest comet. Astronomer Greg Leonard discovered the comet that now bears his name – C/2021 A1 (Leonard) – last January 3. Astronomers reported then that discovery images showed a tail for the comet, suggesting we might see a nice tail as Comet Leonard draws closer to the Earth and sun. The comet is now between the orbits of Mars and Earth, heading inward. Comets are typically brightest around the time they’re closest to the sun. And Comet Leonard will reach perihelion, its closest point to the sun, around January 3, 2022. That’s after its closest point to Earth on December 12.