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C/2022 K1 (Leonard)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion16 Dec 202120.43.982 AU4.842 AU 18h44m-03°24'26.1°6.3°39°
Nearest approach28 Jul 202220.14.417 AU3.426 AU 21h24m-14°24'165.7°3.2°249°
Today3 May 202627.512.290 AU13.041 AU 02h31m-24°30'40.3°3.0°184°
C/2022 K1 (Leonard)- 2026-05-03
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)                : 1.0002510
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.9820890
    i (Inclination)                 : 41.97910
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 136.33070
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 142.51520
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 106.64284
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 24.01872
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459564.77950

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   02 31 08.5   -24 32 09    13.037   12.280   39.8    3.0   182   27.5 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   02 31 31.8   -24 31 00    13.039   12.285   40.1    3.0   183   27.5 
2026-05-03 17:53 UT   02 31 49.1   -24 30 10    13.041   12.290   40.3    3.0   184   27.5 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   02 31 55.1   -24 29 54    13.041   12.291   40.4    3.0   184   27.5 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   02 32 18.3   -24 28 50    13.043   12.297   40.7    3.1   185   27.5 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   02 32 41.5   -24 27 49    13.045   12.302   41.1    3.1   187   27.5 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   02 33 04.6   -24 26 51    13.046   12.308   41.4    3.1   188   27.5 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   02 33 27.8   -24 25 55    13.047   12.314   41.8    3.1   189   27.5 
2026-05-09 00:00 UT   02 33 50.8   -24 25 03    13.048   12.320   42.2    3.2   190   27.5 
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   02 34 13.9   -24 24 13    13.049   12.325   42.6    3.2   191   27.5 
2026-05-11 00:00 UT   02 34 36.9   -24 23 26    13.050   12.331   43.0    3.2   192   27.5 
2026-05-12 00:00 UT   02 34 59.8   -24 22 42    13.050   12.337   43.4    3.2   194   27.5 
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   02 35 22.7   -24 22 01    13.051   12.342   43.8    3.3   195   27.5 




    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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