Comet Lovejoy, has been in our night skies for a few weeks now, but it's currently entering what will likely be the brightest and easiest-to-spot part of its journey around our sun, for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
The comet was discovered last August by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy using his backyard telescope and was at its closest point to Earth on Wednesday. It will be at its brightest starting roughly now and into the next few weeks as it approaches the sun, hopefully increasing the size and brilliance of its coma while remaining relatively in our neck of the celestial woods.
On Friday the comet had a visual magnitude of 4.32, meaning it should be visible from places with limited light pollution like rural areas and outer suburbs. But even if you're in a more populated spot, there's a good chance you can spot it with a pair of binoculars.
To find Lovejoy, simply head outside on a clear night, ideally in the early evening hours just after dark, and look for the constellation Orion. The three bright stars that make up Orion's belt, and the hunter's arrow itself, will roughly be pointing toward the comet over the next week or so.
Enjoy it while you can. It won't return again for 8,000 years.
Topic: See bright comet Lovejoy now (Read 1620 times)
