Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus, at a distance of 1,256,571,357 kilometers from Earth.
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The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2021 A1 (Leonard) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 9° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 A1 (Leonard) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) from Earth is currently 1,256,571,357 kilometers, equivalent to 8.399661 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 9 minutes and 51.4709 seconds to travel from Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2021 A1 (Leonard) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) to Earth happens on Mon Dec 13 2021 at a distance of 0.233994 Astronomical Units, or 35,005,002 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) at epoch 10 July 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459406.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00010051 |
Orbit inclination | i | 132.68581276° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.61523023 AU 92,037,132 km |
Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
Orbital period | period | n.a. |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jan-03 07:01:27 2,459,582.7927 JD |
Argument of perihelion | peri | 225.0877083271° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 255.8891008128° |
Mean anomaly | M | -0.00036284404038465° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00000206°/day |
Visualization of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 May 01 | 16h 34m 12s | -09° 28’ 53” | 21.47 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 02 | 16h 33m 44s | -09° 26’ 36” | 21.48 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 03 | 16h 33m 16s | -09° 24’ 21” | 21.48 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 04 | 16h 32m 49s | -09° 22’ 06” | 21.48 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 05 | 16h 32m 21s | -09° 19’ 53” | 21.48 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 06 | 16h 31m 54s | -09° 17’ 40” | 21.48 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 07 | 16h 31m 27s | -09° 15’ 29” | 21.49 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 08 | 16h 30m 59s | -09° 13’ 18” | 21.49 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 09 | 16h 30m 29s | -09° 11’ 08” | 21.49 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 10 | 16h 30m 02s | -09° 08’ 58” | 21.49 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 11 | 16h 29m 32s | -09° 06’ 51” | 21.49 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 12 | 16h 29m 03s | -09° 04’ 44” | 21.50 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 13 | 16h 28m 36s | -09° 02’ 38” | 21.50 | Ophiucus |
2024 May 14 | 16h 28m 06s | -09° 00’ 33” | 21.50 | Ophiucus |