Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard)
Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) is currently in the constellation of Pictor, at a distance of 780,337,811 kilometers from Earth.
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The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- C/2023 A1 (Leonard) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2023 A1 (Leonard) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) from Earth is currently 780,337,811 kilometers, equivalent to 5.216236 Astronomical Units. Light takes 43 minutes and 22.9268 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2023 A1 (Leonard) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) to Earth
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) to Earth happens on Thu Mar 2 2023 at a distance of 1.186987 Astronomical Units, or 177,570,761 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) at epoch 15 January 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459960.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99319764 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 94.75134872° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.83476584 AU 274,477,064 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
537.61541919 AU 80,426,122,127 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
269.72509251 AU 40,350,299,595 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4,429.8623 years 1,618,007.2116 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Mar-18 17:34:30 2,460,022.2323 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 6453-Feb-28 22:39 4,078,029.4439 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 159.25490336127° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 318.30021765431° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.98626481462° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00022250°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2023 A1 (Leonard) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 11 | 05h 20m 35s | -50° 15’ 59” | 25.00 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 12 | 05h 21m 16s | -50° 13’ 36” | 25.02 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 13 | 05h 21m 59s | -50° 11’ 23” | 25.03 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 14 | 05h 22m 41s | -50° 09’ 20” | 25.04 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 15 | 05h 23m 23s | -50° 07’ 26” | 25.05 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 16 | 05h 24m 06s | -50° 05’ 40” | 25.06 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 17 | 05h 24m 50s | -50° 04’ 04” | 25.07 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 18 | 05h 25m 33s | -50° 02’ 36” | 25.08 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 19 | 05h 26m 17s | -50° 01’ 18” | 25.10 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 20 | 05h 27m 02s | -50° 00’ 08” | 25.11 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 21 | 05h 27m 46s | -49° 59’ 08” | 25.12 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 22 | 05h 28m 31s | -49° 58’ 18” | 25.13 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 23 | 05h 29m 16s | -49° 57’ 36” | 25.14 | Pictor |
| 2024 May 24 | 05h 30m 01s | -49° 57’ 02” | 25.15 | Pictor |