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I set up around 4-5:30AM on December 5, 2021 at this pullout along the Gazelle Callahan Road above Gazelle, California w/ not a single vehicle in transit. The last decent night of clear skies in the area for awhile, I was able to capture a glimpse of Comet Leonard to the ENE w/ its green nucleus & tail, though it is quite faint (I could not see it with the naked eye) as it hovers near the bright red giant star Arcturus. As the night progressed Arcturus was moving higher up, though dawn would be soon approaching. Discovered earlier this year on January 3 at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona by Greg J. Leonard, it is classified as an inbound long period comet with an orbital period of roughly 80,000 years. Those in the Southern Hemisphere have a better chance of seeing it brighter during the middle of this month, & also without having to freeze in the winter cold. While taking this panorama I happened to catch a shooting star that came from the west (right) shooting east (left). Some other lines in the sky may possibly be shooting stars, satellites, aircraft, or even UFOs. Most of the Milky Way is on the hillside above.
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