Solar Orbiter saw the comet Leonard that will leave the Solar System [VIDEO]
(ESA, NASA, NRL, SoloHI)
The European probe Solar Orbiter, which explores the Sun, captured the motion of the comet Leonard against the background of stars and planets.
The comet is expected to pass perihelion in early January, after which it will permanently leave the solar system.
The Long-period comet C/2021 A1, also known as “Leonard”, was discovered in early January this year using the Catalina Sky Survey telescope.
On December 12, it approached the Earth, and on January 3, 2022, it will pass the perihelion point of its current orbit, being 90 million kilometers from the Sun, which is slightly more than half the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
If the core does not disintegrate, then the comet will be thrown out of the solar system into interstellar space.
Comet Leonard is currently available for observation with telescopes and binoculars, its brightness is estimated at +4.7 magnitude, and it is located in the constellation Microscope.
In December, the comet experienced several flares, which are associated with an increase in the activity of the nucleus.
On December 17-19, 2021, Leonard's comet came into the field of view of the SoloHI instrument installed on board the Solar Orbiter probe, which is engaged in solar research.
In the video we can see Mercury, Venus (brighter than Mercury and moving from left to right) and part of the Milky Way are visible in the upper right of the frame
We can also observe stars and dust clouds in the constellation Southern Corona in the lower left corner of the frame.
The change in the length of the comet's tail occurs due to a change in the viewing angle.
Also, at the very end of the clip, we can see a faint coronal mass ejection front moving from the right side of the frame.
In addition to the Solar Orbiter, Leonard's comet was also filmed by another device engaged in studying the Sun
In early November this year, the HI-2 telescope installed on board STEREO-A observed the comet.
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