Comet Leonard, which last passed by Earth 80,000 years ago, has been dazzling the night sky before Christmas.

Flash forward to the week of Dec. 20, 2021, and a “Christmas comet” is streaking through the evening sky. Comet Leonard, or C/2021 as it is officially known, is the brightest comet of 2021.

It’s now rather tricky to see from the northern hemisphere, but Comet Leonard—a.k.a. the “Christmas Comet”—is continuing to delight amateur astronomers south of the equator.

Comet Leonard’s closest pass on Jan. 3, 2021 will take it within 56 million miles (90 million kilometers) of the Sun, slightly more than half Earth’s distance.

Eighty-thousand years ago, Comet Leonard zoomed past Earth for the first time. Now, it’s lighting up the skies once again. Leonard is the most anticipated and dazzling comet of the year. It was ...

Comet 46P/Wirtanen will be the 10th-closest comet to Earth in modern times and should be visible to the naked eye.

Christmas Comet 2021: How to see this once-in-a-lifetime comet streak across the sky Bright ‘Christmas Comet’ to streak across the sky as meteor shower peaks ...

A brand-new meteor shower triggered by the 'Christmas comet' 46P/Wirtanen may appear over Earth for the first time on Dec. 12, though it will be visible from only a small sliver of the world.

Christmas shot of Comet Leonard wins 2022 astrophotography prize The winning image, taken by Gerald Rhemann, captures a breathtaking view of Comet Leonard’s dramatic disconnection event.

A brand-new meteor shower triggered by the 'Christmas comet' 46P/Wirtanen may appear over Earth for the first time on Dec. 12, though it will be visible from only a small sliver of the world.