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Comet Lovejoy - See It Now

A New Comet Will Sail from Southern to Northern Skies

Mar 20, 2007 Kelly Whitt

Comet Lovejoy, C/2007 E2, was discovered in the Southern Hemisphere and is making its way into Northern skies. Find out when and where to look.

On March 15, 2007, Terry Lovejoy of Thornlands, Australia, turned his digital camera toward the sky. He caught some images of what he thought was a comet. He contacted John Frummund of Gisborne, New Zealand, who used a telescope to confirm the discovery and take this image of the comet, which is now named Comet Lovejoy (C/2007 E2), in honor of its discoverer, Terry. The comet was first reported to be greenish with a four-arcminute coma. At magnitude 9.5, Comet Lovejoy is currently visible to telescope observers in the constellation Indus in the Southern Hemisphere.

Comet Lovejoy should reach Northern Hemisphere skies by early April. The comet will head north from the constellation Indus, passing between the constellations Capricornus and Sagittarius in early April. By the last half of April, Comet Lovejoy should be slicing through the constellation Aquila. The end of April will also be the time of the comet's closest approach, at approximately .44 AU from Earth. As the comet nears Earth it will brighten somewhat, with current predictions at about 7th magnitude. This would make it a relatively easy catch in a small telescope, and also accessible to people using binoculars. But stay tuned for updates. Comets can unexpectedly brighten and put on fabulous short-term shows. (See Comet McNaught.)

Northern Hemisphere observers will have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a glimpse of Comet Lovejoy. Capricornus, Sagittarius, and Aquila don't rise until well after midnight. Your best bet may be to wake up before the morning sun has begun to brighten the eastern sky. Look to the southeast to find the target constellations and Comet Lovejoy.

Look here for information on Comet Holmes, which suddenly brightened in October 2007.

The copyright of the article Comet Lovejoy - See It Now in Astronomy & Space is owned by Kelly Whitt. Permission to republish Comet Lovejoy - See It Now in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.