Comet Leonard | 28 Mar 2022

Why in News?

Recently, a very bright comet (C2021A1)) broke apart. Its fragmented remains have been seen in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere.

Key Points

• Dr. Shashibhushan Pandey, senior astronomer of Aryabhatta Observational Science Research Institute (ARIES), Nainital said that this comet was discovered by GJ Leonard on January 3, 2021, due to which it is also known as Comet Leonard.
• This comet passed close to Earth on December 12, 2021, whose photo was taken by astrophotographer Rajiv Dubey of Nainital.
• It reached close to the sun on January 3, 2022. On reaching near the sun, it had lost its direction and began to break apart.
• This comet was very bright, which was seen even with the naked eye. Astronomers from many parts of the world captured it on camera when it came close to Earth.