|
C/2022 U1 (Leonard) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Nearest approach | 28 Oct 2023 | 16.8 | 4.385 AU | 3.683 AU | 23h54m | +56°10' | 129.7° | 10.0° | 136° |
| Perihelion | 26 Mar 2024 | 17.3 | 4.202 AU | 4.896 AU | 22h49m | +38°07' | 41.6° | 9.1° | 324° |
| Today | 14 Apr 2026 | 20.4 | 7.252 AU | 6.852 AU | 18h12m | -06°25' | 109.7° | 7.5° | 262° |
C/2022 U1 (Leonard)- 2026-04-14
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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.
This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 7.6 + 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 U1 (Leonard) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0006620
q (Perihelion distance) : 4.2018620
i (Inclination) : 128.14120
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 72.53250
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 78.61790
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 0.58613
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 50.44585
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2460395.71910
Epoch : 2026 Apr 13
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
2026-04-13 00:00 UT 18 13 09.2 -06 25 03 6.865 7.245 108.4 7.5 263 20.4
2026-04-14 00:00 UT 18 12 47.2 -06 25 24 6.855 7.251 109.5 7.5 262 20.4
2026-04-14 05:29 UT 18 12 42.1 -06 25 29 6.852 7.252 109.7 7.5 262 20.4
2026-04-15 00:00 UT 18 12 24.7 -06 25 46 6.844 7.257 110.5 7.4 262 20.4
2026-04-16 00:00 UT 18 12 01.5 -06 26 09 6.834 7.262 111.5 7.4 262 20.4
2026-04-17 00:00 UT 18 11 37.6 -06 26 33 6.824 7.268 112.5 7.3 262 20.4
2026-04-18 00:00 UT 18 11 13.2 -06 26 58 6.814 7.274 113.6 7.3 261 20.4
2026-04-19 00:00 UT 18 10 48.2 -06 27 25 6.804 7.280 114.6 7.2 261 20.4
2026-04-20 00:00 UT 18 10 22.5 -06 27 52 6.795 7.286 115.6 7.1 261 20.4
2026-04-21 00:00 UT 18 09 56.2 -06 28 22 6.785 7.292 116.7 7.1 260 20.4
2026-04-22 00:00 UT 18 09 29.4 -06 28 52 6.776 7.298 117.7 7.0 260 20.4
2026-04-23 00:00 UT 18 09 01.9 -06 29 24 6.767 7.304 118.7 6.9 259 20.4
2026-04-24 00:00 UT 18 08 33.9 -06 29 58 6.758 7.309 119.8 6.9 259 20.4
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.
