Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard)
Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is currently in the constellation of Cassiopeia. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is 02h 31m 07s and the Declination is +69° 50’ 52” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is 16.54 (JPL).
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Right now it is placed in the North-North-West direction at an altitude of 66° above the horizon.
- 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
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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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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 289,653,787 kilometers, equivalent to 1.936216 Astronomical Units. Light takes 16 minutes and 6.1810 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
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2022 W3 (Leonard) is 16.54.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
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 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 Mar 16 | 02h 46m 09s | +72° 14’ 16” | 16.67 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 17 | 02h 43m 41s | +71° 54’ 19” | 16.66 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 18 | 02h 41m 23s | +71° 34’ 45” | 16.64 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 19 | 02h 39m 16s | +71° 15’ 33” | 16.62 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 20 | 02h 37m 18s | +70° 56’ 44” | 16.61 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 21 | 02h 35m 27s | +70° 38’ 20” | 16.59 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 22 | 02h 33m 44s | +70° 20’ 21” | 16.57 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 23 | 02h 32m 08s | +70° 02’ 44” | 16.55 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 24 | 02h 30m 39s | +69° 45’ 34” | 16.54 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 25 | 02h 29m 16s | +69° 28’ 50” | 16.52 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 26 | 02h 27m 57s | +69° 12’ 30” | 16.50 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 27 | 02h 26m 44s | +68° 56’ 35” | 16.48 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 28 | 02h 25m 36s | +68° 41’ 07” | 16.46 | Cassiopeia |
2023 Mar 29 | 02h 24m 32s | +68° 26’ 02” | 16.44 | Cassiopeia |