The Comet, The Planets, and The Sprite | Gemini North Observatory
This NOIRLab image was captured soon after sunset at Maunakea, Hawai‘i. It was taken by our Cloudcams at Gemini North, one half of the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) NOIRLab. Gemini North sits at an altitude of around 4200 meters (13,800 feet). Not only does this altitude facilitate world-class astronomical observations, but it also provides a phenomenal vantage point to spot exciting light phenomena and night-sky wonders. In just one shot, this scene captures several phenomena: the naked-eye Comet Leonard (left of center), a red sprite (right of center), faint red airglow (left), Venus (the brightest feature), and Saturn (top).
One of the rarest phenomena shown in the image, red sprites shoot down from a height of between 50 and 90 kilometers (30–55 miles) toward the top of the cloud deck over a lightning storm. It is uncommon to capture these phenomena on camera, but the uniquely clear sky and unique perspective from Maunakea increase the chances of capturing this flighty phenomenon.
C/2021 A1 (Leonard) was a long period comet that was discovered by G. J. Leonard at the Mount Lemmon Observatory on January 3, 2021 (a year before perihelion) when the comet was 5 AU (750 million km) from the Sun. It had a retrograde orbit. The nucleus was about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) across. It came within 4 million km (2.5 million mi) of Venus, the closest-known cometary approach to Venus.
Learn about the Gemini North Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-north/
Release Date: Dec. 22, 2021
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