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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:43  
clear_day Transit: 11:47  
SunsetSet: 15:52 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)

Altitude: -1.1°   Azimuth: 170.8°   Direction: South

Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is 19h 44m 59s and the Declination is -38° 58’ 19” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is 19.32 (JPL).

19h 44m 59s
-38° 58’ 19”
Sagittarius
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
19.32

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 edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

  • C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.

Available Resources

Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.

Finder chart of C/2022 W3 (Leonard) in Sagittarius on December,02 2023
Map showing Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) in Sagittarius on December, 02 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
Map showing Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) in Sagittarius on December, 02 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

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.

C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
RA: 19h 44m 59s
Dec: -38° 58’ 19”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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 481,098,237 kilometers, equivalent to 3.215943 Astronomical Units. Light takes 26 minutes and 44.7710 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) and arrive to us.

481,098,237
3.215943
26 minutes and 44.7710 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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:

Tue Aug 15 2023
113,292,919
0.757316

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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) as a function of time

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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
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
2023 Nov 25 19h 35m 57s -38° 10’ 50” 19.05 Sagittarius
2023 Nov 26 19h 37m 06s -38° 17’ 26” 19.09 Sagittarius
2023 Nov 27 19h 38m 17s -38° 23’ 56” 19.12 Sagittarius
2023 Nov 28 19h 39m 29s -38° 30’ 19” 19.16 Sagittarius
2023 Nov 29 19h 40m 40s -38° 36’ 35” 19.20 Sagittarius
2023 Nov 30 19h 41m 52s -38° 42’ 46” 19.23 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 01 19h 43m 04s -38° 48’ 50” 19.27 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 02 19h 44m 16s -38° 54’ 47” 19.30 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 03 19h 45m 29s -39° 00’ 39” 19.34 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 04 19h 46m 41s -39° 06’ 27” 19.37 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 05 19h 47m 56s -39° 12’ 09” 19.41 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 06 19h 49m 09s -39° 17’ 45” 19.44 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 07 19h 50m 23s -39° 23’ 17” 19.48 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 08 19h 51m 38s -39° 28’ 44” 19.51 Sagittarius