Just Passing By

Comet Leonard cruises across the night sky in this December 17 image from a Sun-watching spacecraft. The comet has been quite low in the southwest as evening twilight fades away. It has been visible through binoculars, although not an easy target. The comet will pass closest to the Sun in January, then retreat to the deep freeze of the outer solar system. It won't return to our region for tens of thousands of years. [ESA/SOHO]