Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is currently in the constellation of Tucana, at a distance of 605,324,105 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/2022 W3 (Leonard) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2022 W3 (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/2022 W3 (Leonard) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) from Earth is currently 605,324,105 kilometers, equivalent to 4.046342 Astronomical Units. Light takes 33 minutes and 39.1439 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 W3 (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/2022 W3 (Leonard) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) to Earth
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) to Earth happens on Tue Aug 15 2023 at a distance of 0.757316 Astronomical Units, or 113,292,919 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 W3 (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/2022 W3 (Leonard) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) at epoch 21 December 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459935.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99510464 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 103.56090840° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.39775462 AU 209,101,115 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
569.65565113 AU 85,219,272,612 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
285.52670287 AU 42,714,186,863 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4,824.7887 years 1,762,254.0704 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Jun-22 18:27:23 2,460,118.2690 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 6848-May-11 20:08 4,222,372.3394 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 116.5176453625° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 132.27069248431° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.96266324649° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00020428°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 W3 (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/2022 W3 (Leonard) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 W3 (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/2022 W3 (Leonard) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 23h 02m 38s | -58° 03’ 47” | 22.38 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 11 | 23h 03m 29s | -58° 18’ 43” | 22.39 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 12 | 23h 04m 21s | -58° 33’ 47” | 22.40 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 13 | 23h 05m 12s | -58° 48’ 57” | 22.41 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 14 | 23h 06m 02s | -59° 04’ 17” | 22.42 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 15 | 23h 06m 50s | -59° 19’ 41” | 22.44 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 16 | 23h 07m 39s | -59° 35’ 14” | 22.45 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 17 | 23h 08m 26s | -59° 50’ 54” | 22.46 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 18 | 23h 09m 11s | -60° 06’ 41” | 22.47 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 19 | 23h 09m 57s | -60° 22’ 35” | 22.48 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 20 | 23h 10m 41s | -60° 38’ 34” | 22.49 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 21 | 23h 11m 25s | -60° 54’ 39” | 22.50 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 22 | 23h 12m 07s | -61° 10’ 53” | 22.51 | Tucana |
| 2024 May 23 | 23h 12m 48s | -61° 27’ 11” | 22.52 | Tucana |