I observed C/2021 A1 (Leonard) last night - 2021 Dec 25, ~0930 UT. It is brighter than when I saw it on Dec 23 UT - and the tail is more evident to the naked eye under my rural sky at Patutahi, New Zealand. I see a 2 degree tail with the naked eye. Through the 2.1 x 42 binoculars the tail extends for about 3 degrees. The 11 x 80 binocs suggests that it extends for four degrees. There was some high cloud, so it probably could be seen to extend farther. Regarding the magnitude, it was easy to see with the naked eye when about 10-15 degrees above the WSW horizon. It is brighter than Alpha Mic (mag 4.9), Gamma Mic (4.7), and similar in brightness to Gamma Grus (mag 3.0). I estimate Comet Leonard's magnitude to be about 3.2. Attached is a single exposure (not stacked) photo taken with a Canon 1300D DSLR and Sigma 70-200mm lens at 175mm, 1 x 2 minute, 1600 ISO, uncalibrated (oops). The FoV is 3.0 x 1.7 degrees. The tail extends for nearly 3 degrees in this photo |
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