Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard)
Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) is currently in the constellation of Cassiopeia, at a distance of 537,895,627 kilometers from Earth.
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The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2023 X1 (Leonard) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 43° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2023 X1 (Leonard) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) from Earth is currently 537,895,627 kilometers, equivalent to 3.595610 Astronomical Units. Light takes 29 minutes and 54.2267 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2023 X1 (Leonard) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) to Earth happens on Sat Dec 23 2023 at a distance of 1.025804 Astronomical Units, or 153,458,147 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) at epoch 06 December 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460285.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00088038 |
Orbit inclination | i | 110.63600600° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.95414015 AU 142,737,335 km |
Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
Orbital period | period | n.a. |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Oct-18 07:34:35 2,460,235.8157 JD |
Argument of perihelion | peri | 321.88728060658° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 137.10488531173° |
Mean anomaly | M | 0.0013724966610002° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00002762°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2023 X1 (Leonard) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 May 01 | 02h 46m 04s | +71° 15’ 16” | 24.54 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 02 | 02h 47m 50s | +71° 19’ 15” | 24.56 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 03 | 02h 49m 37s | +71° 23’ 21” | 24.59 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 04 | 02h 51m 25s | +71° 27’ 34” | 24.62 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 05 | 02h 53m 12s | +71° 31’ 56” | 24.64 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 06 | 02h 55m 00s | +71° 36’ 24” | 24.67 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 07 | 02h 56m 47s | +71° 41’ 00” | 24.69 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 08 | 02h 58m 33s | +71° 45’ 43” | 24.72 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 09 | 03h 00m 20s | +71° 50’ 34” | 24.74 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 10 | 03h 02m 08s | +71° 55’ 31” | 24.77 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 11 | 03h 03m 55s | +72° 00’ 34” | 24.79 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 12 | 03h 05m 40s | +72° 05’ 45” | 24.82 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 13 | 03h 07m 27s | +72° 11’ 03” | 24.84 | Cassiopeia |
2024 May 14 | 03h 09m 15s | +72° 16’ 27” | 24.87 | Cassiopeia |