On Christmas Eve, Comet Leonard spreads across the skies of Brasilia

On Friday night (12/24), the day before NatalComet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) can be seen in the sky of the Federal District. Astrophotographer Leo Caldas recorded the images with photos and videos.

hair profile not Instagram, photography and astronomyCaldas celebrated this deed. “It’s a Christmas Eve gift!!! Finally, the sky was clear in Brasilia and I was able to record the beautiful comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard),” he noted.

Comet La Natal

The comet is seen in the skies over Brasilia on Christmas EveLeo Caldas / Personal archive

Comet La Natal

At the time of recording, a plane was flying over DFLeo Caldas / Personal archive

Comet La Natal

A comet gets brighter the closer it gets to the sunLeo Caldas / Personal archive

Comet La Natal

Photographed by astrophotographer Leo CaldasLeo Caldas / Personal archive

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For the record, around 20:30, Caldas took 150 photos and then used the stacking technique to compose the photo.

Soon, he noticed an aircraft approaching. So he decided to shoot. The picture was sharp as well. The plane passed over the tail of the comet.

in the sky

According to the astrophotographer, the comet was very low on the horizon and overlapping light pollution. But the open sky was providence. Caldas expects to make new C/2021 A1 registrations in the coming days.

“We are not talking about the passage of a comet. The orbits of comets are similar to the orbits of the planets. Every day it moves in the sky, but it is little. I was able to imagine, record and photograph. It is already there and will come back again,” he said.

See the culprit:

Discovered by Leonard in January 2021. Each comet travels in a different orbit around the Sun, some shorter and some longer. In the case of the C / 2021 A1 it is 80 thousand years old.

Celestial brightness

“But now it is getting brighter, because it is getting closer to the sun,” Caldas explained. “In early January 2022, it will reach perihelion, which is the closest point.”

In addition to the optical sight, this type of observation is important for the safety of the planet. The record could spot a star on a collision course with Earth. This information is necessary to determine countermeasures.

Caldas is a professor at the Ministry of Education and lives in Aguas Claras, where he even made arrests. Since childhood, he loved astronomy and began recording images of celestial bodies about 10 years ago.

Watch the photographer’s post: