Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)
Taken by John Drummond on December 27, 2021 @
Gisborne, New Zealand
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Hi. I observed C/2021 A1 (Leonard) last night (2021 Dec 27, ~1000 hrs UT). I had an astro tour so couldn't spend too much time on it. It seems a little fainter than the night before and the tail is shorter. To my naked eye, the tail was about 2.5 degrees long. Regarding the magnitude, Comet Leonard was still easy to see with the naked eye when about 10-15 degrees above the WSW horizon. It is slightly brighter than Iota PsA (mag 4.3), and a fainter than Gamma Grus (mag 3.0). I estimate Comet Leonard's magnitude to be about 3.9.
I took the usual images with the 41cm f4.5 Meade Newtonian and STF8300M CCD, 35cm f10 Meade SCT and STL11000M CCD, 18cm f2.8 Takahashi Epsilon and Canon 550D DSLR (attached). I also tried a wide angle, tripod photo with a Cabbage Tree (Cordyline australis) in front. The Cabbage Tree is a bit of a New Zealand icon. My friend, Ian Cooper (see The Night Sky Observer's Guide - Volume 3), always says that if there's a nice naked eye comet, put a Cabbage Tree in front. I planted this tree on my 2-acre block ~12-15 years ago for such an occasion. It was hard self-illuminating myself as I held the binocs and the torch at the same time. This ones for you Ian!
Regards
John D, E94
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