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Comet Leonard can be seen this month before leaving for good

2021-12-07T10:35:16.558Z


There's a new comet in sight and December is your only chance to spot it before it's gone forever. Where and when will Comet Leonard be seen from Earth? 1:03 (CNN) - There is a new comet in sight and December is your only chance to observe it before it disappears forever. Astronomers say that Comet Leonard is the best and brightest comet we can see in 2021. The comet was first discovered in January by astronomer Greg Leonard. The celestial object has probably spent the last 35,000 years trave


Where and when will Comet Leonard be seen from Earth?

1:03

(CNN) -

There is a new comet in sight and December is your only chance to observe it before it disappears forever.

Astronomers say that Comet Leonard is the best and brightest comet we can see in 2021.

The comet was first discovered in January by astronomer Greg Leonard.

The celestial object has probably spent the last 35,000 years traveling toward the Sun, according to Sky & Telescope, and once it passes near our star on January 3, we won't see it again.

As the comet approaches the Sun, it lights up, so the weeks leading up to this event are the best to see it.

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It is also an ultra-fast comet, traversing the inner solar system at 71 kilometers per second, but it will still appear as a slow-moving object due to its distance from Earth, according to EarthSky.

Comet Leonard will get closer to Earth on December 12, reaching 34 million kilometers from our planet.

Then, it will pass through Venus on December 18.

The comet will be visible in the skies of the northern and southern hemispheres this month.

How to see Leonard

It's difficult to predict how well we can see a comet, but you'll probably need binoculars to detect it, according to NASA.

Be on the lookout for an object that looks like a fuzzy star.

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This NASA illustration shows a comet approaching the inner solar system.

"In the first weeks of December, Comet Leonard can be found in the east before dawn, passing between Arcturus and the handle of the Big Dipper," the agency shared in a post.

"It approaches the horizon just at the time of its closest approach to Earth, which means it will probably be brighter but more challenging to observe. Then it changes to being an evening object after December 14, for a short time after as the Sun sets, as it begins its long outward journey from the Sun again, its brightness gradually fading. "

As comets get closer to the Sun, these giant ice balls begin to break off some of their material, forming a halo or coma around the object.

Dust and gas flow behind comets to form their extremely long tails.

Most comets originate from the icy edge of our solar system and only become visible to us as they travel through the inner solar system, where Earth is located.

Comet Leonard may be visible to observers with the naked eye, but if you're worried about missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience, the Virtual Telescope Project will share a live feed from its observatory in Rome.

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Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-12-07

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