Pictures show Leonard’s Comet alongside Christ the Redeemer | Rio de Janeiro

to me g 1He had made time and angle calculations, said Marcello Cavalcante, and that he realized that, from Meranti Dona Marta, in Botafogo, about 8 p.m., he would be able to frame the memorial and the comet.

“The ideal is to go out of town to shoot or see with the naked eye, but in very dark places, such as Região Serrana and Região dos Lagos. But with professional equipment and knowledge of how to locate a comet in the sky, it is possible to shoot even in lit places with Rio de Janeiro (. ..) Today I planned to come to Meranti Dona Marta to try and photograph her passing near Christ. It is a very difficult and very detailed plan,” the photographer explained.

The star, nicknamed in some ways the “Christmas comet,” was discovered in January of this year, when it was between Mars and Jupiter, and NASA scientists have tracked the orbit it follows toward the sun.

Leonard can be seen with the naked eye in Latin American countries, according to weather conditions.

Comet C/2021 A1, discovered by Gregory J. Leonard (hence its name) was first seen as a “faint spot” in early 2021, when it passed through Mars’ orbit.

Subsequent observations and analyzes of scientists showed that it was a comet with a long orbital period, about 80,000 years – so its appearance near the Earth is an extraordinary sight.

On December 12, Leonard was at its closest point on Earth’s path, about 35 million kilometers away. Because of the location, it was the best view in the northern hemisphere.

In the second half of December, it reversed its position from north to south, according to NASA. In Brazil and other countries in South America, forecasts indicate that it will be seen near the western line of the horizon.

After reaching perihelion, the closest point to the Sun in its orbit, Leonard will return to the depths of space on a journey spanning thousands of years.