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C/2022 K1 (Leonard)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion16 Dec 202120.43.984 AU4.845 AU 18h45m-03°24'26.1°6.2°39°
Nearest approach28 Jul 202220.14.418 AU3.427 AU 21h24m-14°22'165.8°3.2°249°
Today7 Nov 202526.611.265 AU10.587 AU 02h11m-31°46'131.2°3.8°12°
C/2022 K1 (Leonard)- 2025-11-07
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)


Light curve

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS. The light curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (11.0 + 5 log[∆] + 10.0 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)



Charts

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.





The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.




Orbital elements

The orbital elements of C/2022 K1 (Leonard) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0005770
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.9842000
    i (Inclination)                 : 41.97680
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 136.36910
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 142.51030
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 106.67599
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 24.02043
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459564.93230

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 06
    Reference                       : MPEC 2022-ST7

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-11-06 00:00 UT   02 11 42.2   -31 46 20    10.574   11.259  131.7    3.8    10   26.6 
2025-11-07 00:00 UT   02 11 24.2   -31 46 41    10.586   11.265  131.2    3.8    12   26.6 
2025-11-07 01:06 UT   02 11 23.4   -31 46 42    10.587   11.265  131.2    3.8    12   26.6 
2025-11-08 00:00 UT   02 11 06.4   -31 46 57    10.598   11.271  130.8    3.8    13   26.6 
2025-11-09 00:00 UT   02 10 48.6   -31 47 09    10.611   11.276  130.3    3.8    14   26.7 
2025-11-10 00:00 UT   02 10 30.9   -31 47 17    10.623   11.282  129.7    3.9    15   26.7 
2025-11-11 00:00 UT   02 10 13.4   -31 47 20    10.636   11.288  129.2    3.9    17   26.7 
2025-11-12 00:00 UT   02 09 56.1   -31 47 18    10.648   11.294  128.7    3.9    18   26.7 
2025-11-13 00:00 UT   02 09 38.8   -31 47 12    10.661   11.300  128.1    4.0    19   26.7 
2025-11-14 00:00 UT   02 09 21.8   -31 47 02    10.675   11.306  127.6    4.0    20   26.7 
2025-11-15 00:00 UT   02 09 04.9   -31 46 47    10.688   11.311  127.0    4.0    21   26.7 
2025-11-16 00:00 UT   02 08 48.2   -31 46 28    10.702   11.317  126.4    4.0    22   26.7 
2025-11-17 00:00 UT   02 08 31.6   -31 46 04    10.716   11.323  125.8    4.1    24   26.7 




    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.

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