It might not appear for another decade, or it might surprise us next year, we just don’t know.

But right now, as you read this, there is a huge dirty iceberg somewhere out there in the cold, dark depths of the solar system that we haven’t found yet but is destined to become the next truly Great Comet, rivalling or even outshining Hale-Bopp. When will the next bright comet appear? We don’t know. Some observers have said that Comet A1 Leonard was “disappointing”, even calling it a “tiddler” rather unkindly, but that’s not very fair.Ĭomets as bright as Leonard don’t come along very often, and most of the comets that appear in our sky never become bright or big enough to see without a telescope, and then they only look like fuzzy, out of focus stars. Many others will recall only frustration as bad weather prevented them from ever seeing it. When it flies off back into deep space, many of us will have fond memories of getting up at you’re-having-a-laugh-o’clock to see it glowing above nearby treetops and roofs. So, Comet A1 Leonard’s show is almost over. Equipment: ASI2600MC (Optolong L Pro), RedCat51, tracked on EQ6R Pro.

Comet Leonard captured by Mike Read from Corsley, Wiltshire, UK on 9 December 2021.

Comet leonard stellarium