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C/2023 V5 (Leonard)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach3 Nov 202318.81.122 AU0.225 AU 23h08m-17°24'120.0°50.0°60°
Perihelion13 Dec 202320.50.846 AU0.893 AU 18h40m+26°43'53.3°68.9°23°
Today19 Dec 202535.48.301 AU8.935 AU 14h14m-31°23'47.5°5.0°274°
C/2023 V5 (Leonard)- 2025-12-19
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. (21.5 + 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/2023 V5 (Leonard) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0094520
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.8463660
    i (Inclination)                 : 73.52980
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 31.50890
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 56.97370
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 55.07279
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 53.51551
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460292.42680

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 12
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-GJ3

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-18 00:00 UT   14 14 35.9   -31 18 17     8.939    8.291   46.4    4.9   274   35.4 
2025-12-19 00:00 UT   14 14 53.4   -31 22 14     8.935    8.300   47.3    5.0   274   35.4 
2025-12-19 05:20 UT   14 14 57.2   -31 23 07     8.935    8.301   47.5    5.0   274   35.4 
2025-12-20 00:00 UT   14 15 10.4   -31 26 11     8.932    8.308   48.1    5.1   274   35.4 
2025-12-21 00:00 UT   14 15 27.1   -31 30 08     8.928    8.316   49.0    5.1   275   35.5 
2025-12-22 00:00 UT   14 15 43.4   -31 34 04     8.924    8.324   49.9    5.2   275   35.5 
2025-12-23 00:00 UT   14 15 59.3   -31 38 00     8.919    8.332   50.8    5.2   276   35.5 
2025-12-24 00:00 UT   14 16 14.9   -31 41 56     8.915    8.341   51.6    5.3   276   35.5 
2025-12-25 00:00 UT   14 16 30.0   -31 45 51     8.910    8.349   52.5    5.4   277   35.5 
2025-12-26 00:00 UT   14 16 44.7   -31 49 45     8.905    8.357   53.4    5.4   277   35.5 
2025-12-27 00:00 UT   14 16 59.1   -31 53 39     8.900    8.365   54.3    5.5   277   35.5 
2025-12-28 00:00 UT   14 17 13.0   -31 57 33     8.895    8.373   55.2    5.5   278   35.5 
2025-12-29 00:00 UT   14 17 26.5   -32 01 25     8.890    8.382   56.1    5.6   278   35.5 




    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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