Comet Lovejoy is now visible in the night sky, and amateur astronomers can see it from anywhere in the northern hemisphere, under dark, clear skies. Anyone missing this odd green comet will have to wait 8,000 years before it comes near the Sun once again.
Skywatchers looking to gaze upon the comet will likely see a dim, glowing patch of light, barely visible to the naked eye.
Astronomers believe Lovejoy last passed near the Earth 11,500 years ago, placing the body into the classification of long-period comets.
Comet Lovejoy was discovered on Aug. 17, 2014, by amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy, using his eight-inch telescope, which he set up on his own property.
Amateur astronomers wanting to view the comet should travel somewhere away from city lights. The constellation of Orion is one of the easiest in the sky to find. The three stars of the hunter's belt are close together, in a straight line. There are no other formations in northern skies anything like it. Just to the right of this grouping of stars is the constellation Taurus the Bull, resembling a letter "Y" turned slightly counter-clockwise. Just above and to the right of Taurus is the Pleiades cluster, the "Seven Sisters," although the formation appears to the naked eye like six stars close together. Holding a hand at arm's length, the comet will be found two hand widths below the star cluster.
Binoculars are superb tools for seeing the comet, especially those with wide objective (main) lenses. They gather far more light that the human eye, allowing a better view. Unlike most telescopes, they also offer a wide field of view, permitting the user to see a large patch of sky at any given time. This makes it easier to find the comet, and observe the structure of the tail. Large binoculars can be heavy, so it is best to set them up on a tripod to keep the images steady.
Comet Lovejoy, known to astronomers as C/2014 Q2, made its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 7, and prime viewing time for the display will last for around two weeks, until around Jan. 21. On Jan. 30, the comet will make its closest approach to the Sun, and will begin to dim as it travels away from our companion star.
"It is very astonishing that this comet shows a very steady increase [in brightness] with such a great activity parameter over many weeks," Andreas Kammerer, an amateur astronomer who has studied the comet since its discovery, said.
Comets are frozen bodies of water ice, frozen carbon dioxide, and other chemicals, earning them a description as "dirty snowballs" by astronomers.
"If only C/2014 Q2 approached much closer to the sun it might well have become the most brilliant comet in all of history," John Bortle, an expert on comets, noted to the press.
