Hemp Happy New Year! Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) can already be seen - TopicsExpress



          

Hemp Happy New Year! Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) can already be seen by the naked eye, but is expected to reach peak brightness on January 7. NASA suggests using binoculars and a star chart - the best way to spot it is to look for a fuzzy patch to the right of Orions belt an hour or so after sunset. mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/spectacular-glowing-green-comet-lovejoy-4902102 Currently at magnitude +5 (or brighter) it should still be obvious in moonlight, particularly in a telescope. While numerous astroimages show Comet Lovejoy sporting a thin ion tail about 5° long, the visual impression is that of a slightly asymmetric ball concentrated towards the centre. That was how it appeared in my 10×50 binoculars on 29th December. As the nights pass, Comet Lovejoy heads north-northwest, passing into the constellation of Eridanus in early January. By the night of Full Moon on the 5th, the comet will be 11° directly west (right) of Rigel, much higher in the sky and easily identifiable despite the Moon’s glow in Gemini. (See charts at link below:) astronomynow/2014/12/29/get-ready-for-comet-lovejoy/
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 04:27:03 +0000

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