BACKYARD STARGAZER: December should have a comet, but not really a cupid

Francis Parnell

by Francis Parnell

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,

How I Wonder Where You Are.

Looking Up Is No Solution,

Too Much LED Light Pollution!

December has some nice lunar conjunctions and, if we’re lucky, a chance to spot Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) before sunrise and after sunset! Looking south-southwest on the 1st at dusk, and looking from left to right, bright Jupiter, Saturn, and brilliant Venus form a line above the horizon. You can enjoy this view all month! In the south-southwest on the 3rd at dusk, catch Venus at greatest brilliancy, magnitude -4.9! You can’t miss it!! On the 6th at dusk, look south-southwest to spot the two-day old slim crescent Moon 2.5 degrees below dazzling Venus. Great view in binoculars! At dusk on the 7th, the waxing crescent Moon has moved eastward along its orbit and is about 5.5 degrees below the ringed planet Saturn. On the 8th at dusk, the Moon is about 5 degrees from bright Jupiter and along with Saturn, the trio forms a triangle above the south-southwestern horizon. 45 minutes before sunrise on the 10th, look east about 30 degrees high to observe Comet Leonard. Use binoculars to help find the comet. If you find a fuzzy object and can’t get a clear, sharp image, that will be the comet. On the 11th, looking east about 20 degrees high, you should be able to view Comet Leonard before it passes behind the Sun and heads to the farthest reaches of the solar system on its very long orbit. In the west-southwest 45 minutes after sunset on the 18th, Comet Leonard will be about 5 degrees below dazzling Venus. The Full Cold Moon tonight is the smallest this year at a distance of 252, 467 miles. It’s in Taurus, near where the Sun will be on the first day of summer! FAST FACT: Comet Leonard is predicted to reach a naked eye brightness of magnitude 4.5 in the early morning sky. This comet has been traveling for 35,000 years to get here! When it returns, Earth will have changed beyond recognition. With the new white light LED’s that have been installed making the sky brighter, good luck comet hunting, but “Keep looking up!”

Author: Stephan Drew

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