Will Comet Leonard be the Brightest Comet of the Year?

C/2021 A1 (Leonard), a much-anticipated comet, is expected to be the greatest and brightest comet of 2021 by the end of the year. The comet is now moving toward the sun, approaching its perihelion (closest approach to the sun) on January 3, 2022.

Although comets are notoriously difficult to anticipate, NASA predicts Comet Leonard will brighten and become visible to the naked eye in the second week of December.

Look toward the eastern sky on the morning of December 6, approximately two hours before dawn. You'll spot Arcturus, a dazzling orange-yellow star in the constellation of Boötes the Herdsman, right away.

Looking down the handle of the Big Dipper away from its spout, arcing to the brilliant orange star Arcturus, forming the base of the constellation Boötes, which some people mistake for a kite, is a straightforward approach to discover the constellation.

Visibility

Scanning the sky roughly 5 degrees to the left of Arcturus with a cheap pair of regular 1050 binoculars should reveal Comet Leonard. The comet's dust tail, which began to grow dramatically in early November, should be practically straight up.

The morning visibility of Comet Leonard will finish on December 12, although it will make many "cameo appearances" in the evening sky. It will be 5° below brilliant Venus on December 17. Look for it around an hour after sunset using binoculars, extremely low near the southwest horizon.

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