The comet will race past Earth tomorrow

It will remain a unique sight: Comet “C/2021 A1 Leonard”, discovered at the beginning of the year, will fly away from Earth next weekend and may become visible in the morning sky. The Sternfreunde Association in Germany announced that it will reach its closest distance on Sunday morning. However, it is still within a “respectable distance” of 34 million km.

They say, “This tail star won’t make a bright spectacle.” But it should be easy to spot with binoculars or a telescope. “This visit to Comet Leonard is not a bright celestial event, but it will be the only one for us,” said astronomer friends.

After revolving around the sun in a wide arc, the celestial body will disappear in the vastness of space and will never return to the solar system. C/2021 A1 Leonard was the first comet to be discovered this year on January 3rd. Seen by Gregory J. Leonard at Mount Lemon Observatory in Arizona, USA.

Comets are billions of years old, and have arisen since the early days of our solar system. It is made up of a mixture of ice, dust and rocks. When a comet approaches the Sun, its core, which is usually only a few kilometers in size, begins to evaporate and form a thick cloud of dust and gas. The comet’s tail appears later.