Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)

We had been plagued with cloudy nights for weeks and wishing we could get an image of Comet Leonard.

Even on clear nights, the comet is very low to the horizon and only available to us from about 4 a.m. until twilight. Luckily, we returned home one night to find that skies had temporarily cleared. Knowing it may be our only opportunity, we hurried to the Observatory and set up to capture some images.

Comet Leonard is the brightest comet of 2021, but definitely not the sensational event that we witnessed with Comet Neowise. Still, it is unique in that it will continue its elliptical 80,000 year orbit around the sun until about January 3rd, then be ejected from the solar system sometime in 2022. It will be closest to earth on December 12 but how easy it will be seen is in question due to the sun’s glare.

This image was taken on December 6, 2021 when the comet was approximately 32 million miles from earth and 79 million miles from the sun. Observed visual magnitude was approximately 6.24, which is slightly below naked eye visibility but viewable through binoculars.

2 hour time-lapse from Badlands Observatory

Comet Leonard from Badlands Observatory December 6, 2021 at 4 a.m.