After months of anticipation, the most promising comet for sky gazers in 2021 is finally drawing closer and more visible. At the start of this year, researcher Greg Leonard found Comet C/2021 A1, which is now called Comet Leonard. At the time it was moving towards Earth from deep with the potential to be the brightest comet of 2021.
No such comet with an ability to outshine Comet Leonard has emerged yet, so it seems the upcoming comet will fulfill its potential soon.”There are chances to easily see this comet by naked eye, even if under less than optimal conditions,” writes astronomer Gianluca Masi with the Virtual Telescope Project.
Brightest comet of 2021
If the comet lives up to astronomers’ predictions, the comet will pass near our planet in December when it might be visible with binoculars or even without them. There on, it will make a close flyby of the Sun and head back to deep space in January.
Several astrophotographers have captured some pretty impressive images of the comet featuring a green coma and an extended tail. Leonard won’t be possible to see without lenses until mid-December.
Massive comet coming towards Earth
Previously, scientists confirmed the existence of a massive comet and it’s hurtling towards Earth. The comet was discovered by University of Pennsylvania astronomers Pedro Bernadinelli and Gary Bernstein. The pair initially discovered evidence of a 60 to 100-mile wide comet seven years ago and has finally published a paper that confirms it. The paper can be found in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The comet’s next closest approach will be in 2031. Fortunately, it’ll be out of reach, cruising between the orbits of Uranus and Saturn. Astronomers say it’ll offer an amazing opportunity to study the object, which they hope will reveal groundbreaking discoveries about what the solar system was before planets came into being.
