New Comet Lovejoy graces the skies for Christmas
Digital Reporter
Sunday, December 21, 2014, 2:13 PM - It won't be the comet of the century, but Comet Lovejoy can still be observed by keen-eyed Earthlings this month, provided the skies are clear and dark where you are.
This comet, C/2014 Q2, was discovered earlier this year by Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy (actually the fifth comet he's discovered so far. The video above shows a previous Lovejoy from 2013). While visible in the southern hemisphere for months, it is just beginning to be viewable in the northern hemisphere.
Reaching a magnitude of +7, it will easily seen with binoculars and the simplest telescopes, according to Universe Today.
In haste. Single shot of Comet Lovejoy taken tonight from S of Brighton, Otago, NZ. #astronomy #Dunedin #cometlovejoy pic.twitter.com/oT8VysZDpv
— Ian Griffin (@iangriffin) December 21, 2014
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on January 7, at a distance of 70 million km.
It's a nice year-end treat, but it won't be as spectacular as one of Lovejoy's previous discoveries, C/2011 W3. That rock passed within 120,000 km of the sun's surface in December 2011.
To the astonishment of the astronomical community, that "sun grazer" actually survived the passage, swinging around the sun to become bright enough to seem like a pre-dawn searchlight, according to NASA.
Lovejoy's last discovery, C/2013 R1, came closest to the sun on December 22, 2013, and ended up outshining would-be sun grazer comet ISON.
Though not itself a sungrazer, Lovejoy's comet was still bright enough to be seen faintly with the naked eye in dark skies, and a prime target for binoculars and telescopes, according to NASA.
