A diagram shows the positions of Venus and Leonard in the sky. The image is from Starry Night.
The discoverer of comet Leonard has shared a few tips to help see the bright object in the night sky.
Gregory Leonard, a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, discovered the comet in January 2021. It will not be near Earth again for 80,000 years.
The closest approach to Earth by comet Leonard was more than 21 million miles away. The comet will make its last visit to Earth's neighborhood on December 17th, before leaving the solar system forever.
There are amazing comet views from Earth and space.
Leonard said that there is a chance that Venus will pick up some dust in its atmosphere and produce a meteor shower on another planet.
The comet can be seen in the evening sky. Leonard shared some tips to spot a comet.
skywatchers can use Venus as a reference point to locate a comet if it is visible in the southwestern sky.
Chris Schur used a 10-inchNewtonian telescope and a 60-minute camera exposure to take a picture of comet Leonard. Chris Schur provided the image.
Leonard said that the comet will appear low above the horizon just after sunset. Between now and Christmastime, it will skim across the west-southwestern horizon. The comet is very close to the horizon, making it difficult to observe.
The comet's coma and tail may scatter sunlight, making it appear brighter and easier to spot.
Leonard said in the statement that there is something to be seen for the casual observer. I think you may be rewarded if you find yourself a dark sky with a good view of the horizon.
The European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre used the Calar Alto Schmidt telescope to take this picture. The comet images were stacked on top of each other. The image is from the NEOCC.
skywatchers will only be able to observe comet Leonard up close before it is flung into the depths of space.
Leonard said that this will be the last time they see the comet. It's traveling at 44 miles per second. It will be ejected from our solar system after it is slingshot around the sun.
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