It was first observed on January 3, 2021, by Gregory Leonard, a scientist at the University of Arizona using a 1.5 meter telescope at the Mount Lemon Observatory. Following the current method, it was renamed C / 2021 A1 (Leonard).
It was the first comet to be discovered in 2021. Later, when the old records were checked, it was found that it had been photographed before but had gone unnoticed. About 90 comets have already been discovered by 2021, but none are as famous.
Now it is moving towards us. On December 6, it will reach a distance of 5 degrees in the sky from the star Swati (Choti). By December 12, it will be only 3.5 million kilometers from Earth.
It is less than a quarter of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Astronomers believe that it will be visible to the naked eye in a few days. But in this case, the predictions are wrong. If the weather is favorable, you can see through binoculars. On January 3, 2022, it will be closest to the Sun. The return journey will begin later. Eventually it will leave the solar system forever.
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