Less than a year ago, when comet Leonard discovered for the first time, it is still an extremely dim and dark rock that goes beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
Now, it has reached the vicinity of the solar system in its journey towards the sun, and it is considered the brightest comet of the year.
Here’s how to view it:
Ed Krupp, an astronomer and director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, told NPR.
For those in North America, the best time will probably be Monday morning – weather permitting – when the comet will be near Arcturus, low on the horizon. The star is located in the constellation Boötes (The Herdsman). There’s an easy way to find it: Follow the curve of the Big Dipper (in Ursa Major) past the end of the handle. The next bright star you see will be Arcturus. A good memory aid is to remember that from the Dipper handle, you “arc with Arcturus.”
“The comet would be only half the width of the clenched fist on the left” of Arcturus, Krupp said. “You might notice it with the naked eye, but most likely, you’ll need binoculars [or] a telescope.”
It is difficult to determine exactly how bright a comet will appear to observers on Earth, and is often a matter of speculation by amateur and professional astronomers. Leonard is no different.
But for those who watched Comet Neowise in the summer of 2020Peter Veres, an astronomer at the Center for Small Planets at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said Leonard could come as something of a disappointment.
“I wouldn’t say this comet would be spectacular if you compared it to Neowise’s comet,” Veres told NPR.
He said that Leonard is visible to the naked eye, but “you’ll need to be in a dark environment, far from the city.”
If you miss it in the morning, you’ll get another chance later that evening, says Krupp.
“Optimal time [in the evening] probably from December 17th,” he said.
This time, look for the planet Venus in the southwest. The planet is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon. The comet will be between Venus and the horizon.
After that, things got a little more difficult for Northern Hemisphere observers. They will need to book a flight somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere next month. Australia has anyone?
But after Leonard leaves the southern skies behind, you’re out of luck. With an orbital period of 80,000 years, the last people on Earth to witness comets were our distant ancestors – both Neanderthals and Neanderthals. Homo sapiens.
And, we will be the last to see it from this vantage point. Due to the shape of Leonard’s orbit, the comet is set to be ejected from the solar system some time after its descent to Earth.
