Comet Leonard Is Visible Across Canada & You Might Be Able To See It With The Naked Eye
It's the best and brightest comet of 2021!
C/2021 A1, known as Comet Leonard, is currently visible across all of Canada and it might be possible to see it without a telescope or binoculars soon!
The comet was discovered at the beginning of 2021 by astronomer Greg Leonard and has been streaking through the morning sky, but it will be moving to the evening sky later in December.
It's heading toward its perihelion — the comet's closest point to the sun — which is when comets are typically the brightest. It will be the closest to Earth at a distance of about 34 million kilometres on December 12, according to EarthSky.
EarthSky said that Leonard is a good binocular comet but it might be possible to see it with the naked eye in dark skies as the days go on. Apparently, it will look like a fuzzy star if you spot it.
Chris Vaughan, an astronomer and operator at the David Dunlap Observatory in Ontario, explained in a blog post that the comet will rise at about 6 a.m. local time on December 12.
No matter where you are in Canada, you can find it at that time by looking for the bright star Arcturus in the eastern sky then casting your binoculars, telescope or eyes to the left of it and down.
From Tuesday, December 14, and onwards, the comet will be low in the southwestern sky after sunset and then it will travel above the horizon for several weeks before disappearing.
In 2020, Comet NEOWISE put on a spectacular show across Canada's skies with its bright, streaking tail. A Canadian photographer even spotted the comet dancing with the northern lights at the time!