Leonardo, the brightest comet that we will see in 2021 and that could be so bright that it could be seen with the naked eye from Earth before the end of the year. Here we tell you when they discovered this comet, where and when you will be able to see it.
Comet Leonard, when they discovered it and why it matters
Astronomer Gregory J. Leonard recently discovered this comet, which is why it bears the same name, Leonard. The new comet on its way to the sun could potentially look bright and be seen from Earth by the end of the year.
Comet Leonard was listed as C / 2021 A1. It was discovered on January 3 at the Mount Lemmon Observatory, in Arizona, United States. At first it began as an extremely faint object of magnitude 19 (that is, 160,000 times fainter than the faintest stars).
Comet Leonard appears to have a hyperbolic orbit that will take it only once through the inner solar system and then return to the depths of space. If it is not appreciated this time, it may not be seen again on Earth, as EarthSky reported.
So far it is known that the comet travels in a closed orbit and with a very close visit to the Sun, about 70,000 years ago.
When will Comet Leonardo be seen in 2021?
For the month of December, Comet Leonardo will be visible during the early morning hours . In the second half of December, as the comet approaches the sun, it will be absorbed by the light until it disappears from view.
On December 12 it will pass less than 34.9 million km from Earth , and on January 3, 2022, it will pass less than 92 million km from the Sun , the scientists reported.
What are comets and why do they attract attention?
Comets are celestial bodies in the solar system that are made up of frozen gases that heat up as they get closer to the Sun and this heat makes them shine. As the gases heat up and expand , the solar wind (subatomic particles that radiate from the Sun), pushes the expanding material toward the comet's beautiful tail.
Comet Leonardo is one of the unusual comets, since it is one of the comets visible without the help of telescopes and they only appear one or two years every 10-15 years. As happened with Comet Neowise.