Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard photographed from Indiana on November 28, 2021. | Credits: Paul Macklin/ Spaceweathergallery.com 
It just might be that early Christmas present the skywatchers were waiting for. After months of eager anticipation, this year’s most promising comet — Comet Leonard — is finally drawing closer to Earth and could potentially become visible to binocular and even naked eyes.
"There are chances to easily see this comet by the naked eye, even if under less than optimal conditions," says astronomer Gianluca Masi, who is with the Virtual Telescope Project based in Italy. And true enough, it was sighted in Italy on Monday night/ Tuesday early hours.
Even if not with a naked eye (yet!) you can see the luminous Lenny with a pair of binoculars. As of now, quite a few astrophotographers have managed to snap some pretty shots of Leonard sporting a smart green coma with an impressive extended tail.
What makes Leonard so special?
When it was discovered on January 3, 2021, by Greg Leonard, the senior research specialist at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona Comet C/2021 A1 was heading in the direction of our planet from deep space with the potential to be the brightest comet of 2021. Now with no other comet to beat our superstar, Comet Leonard (as it is better known eponymously after its discoverer) is all set to claim the title of being the brightest comet of this year.
If it lives up to the predictions, then Leonard will pass near Earth in December when it is likely to be visible with binoculars or possibly even without them. It has a rather long journey after saying “hello” to us Earthlings. It is headed to make a close pass by the Sun and then back out to deep space in January.
But then, astronomers and most skygazers know by now to not set too many expectations on comets. The notoriously fickle celestial bodies can decide halfway through the transition to not make an appearance and just disintegrate. Disappointment in bold letters. We hope Leonard doesn’t disappoint us — it has taken about 35,000 years of hurtling through space to come this close to us. A chance for us to witness a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event.
Can you see it from India?
As of now, Comet Leonard is below the horizon from India. Given its current magnitude, it will be visible with the help of a binocular with a 40-50mm aperture or a small telescope. You can spot it in the early hours of the day. TheSkyLive website and the comet’s Twitter handle can tell you the exact timings as per your zone. The Sky Live tells us that it is set to rise at 1:48 a.m, will be in transit at around 8:58 a.m. and will set at about 4:12 p.m IST — give or take a few minutes to factor in atmospheric conditions.
For clarity sake, the rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of the comet touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction.
So set your alarm clocks and look into the skies. Smoggy haze notwithstanding, you just might be able to this huge snowball from space hurtling through the skies above you.
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2021-11-30 11:54:51Z
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