Comet Lovejoy, officially known as C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, drew as close as 120 million miles to the sun or 1.3 times the Earth-sun distance on Friday, January 29. This will result in a spectacular display for skygazers close to the dates February 6 or 7.
The dazzling Comet Lovejoy.
The comet is named after Australian astronomer, Terry Lovejoy, who first spotted this celestial object in August 2014. The head of the comet has an emerald green hue with a blueish tail trailing it, 7 km in length . The green colour is due to an abundance of diatomic carbon C2 and cyanogen (CN)2; these molecules when ionized causes the bright green glow or radiation. The tail, on the other hand, has an abundance of ionized carbon monoxide (CO+) molecules.
The comet can be observed through a telescope or binoculars in the Northern sky in the constellation Triangulum, near Andromeda. The moonlight might make visibility difficult right now but once the sky is clear on the night of February 5, the comet may even be seen with the naked eye. You can watch
Slooh Community Observatory Comet Lovejoy Webcast if you miss the chance to see it yourself. Otherwise, mark your calenders and don't forget to look up at the night sky. You could wish upon this shooting star ;)
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