html It can only be seen once in 370,000 years. At the same time, the comet , known as the brightest this year, is coming! The Nanying Planetarium in Tainan City, Taiwan, posted on Facebook yesterday (3rd) that comet "No. C/2021 A1 (Leonard)" is approaching the earth. It is estimated that the maximum brightness will reach magnitude 4 to 5 in mid-December. There is a chance It can be seen with the naked eye or a small binoculars , and the Nanyue Planetarium also photographed this mysterious comet for astronomy fans to appreciate it first.
"C/2021 A1" takes 70,000 years to orbit the sun and is closest to the earth on 12/13!
The Southern Ocean Planetarium stated that "C/2021 A1" is the first comet discovered by the astronomical community this year. On January 3 this year, it was discovered by American astronomer Gregory Leonard in Arizona, USA. Discovered by the state's Mt. Lemmon Sky Center Observatory.
The current brightness of "C/2021 A1" is about magnitude 7 to 8. It is located in the constellation Canes and moving toward Boötes . It can be photographed with a large telescope before sunrise in the early morning. However, "C/2021 A1" will be closest to the Earth on December 13. It is estimated that the brightness will increase to magnitude 4 visible to the naked eye. It will be located near Ophiuchus . It will be seen at low altitude in the southwest after sunset at dusk, with a low elevation angle. You need to find an unobstructed location near the horizon for viewing; based on the orbital parameters, it is estimated that the comet will take 70,000 years to orbit the sun.
comet name is chosen like this! Nanying Planetarium reveals naming principles
In addition, Nanying Planetarium revealed the naming method of comets, explaining that "the C in the name of the comet indicates that it is a non-periodic comet (or has a period of more than 200 years)"; 2021 A1 was discovered The time, "2021 is the year of discovery, A represents the first half of January (A, B, C, D...in order, every half month), the number 1 is the discovery during this time period The first comet”.
