The best two weeks for stargazers and amateur astronomers to view the Comet Lovejoy begins this weekend when the green-glowing space rock will even be visible to the naked eye - assuming you know where to look and that it is not too bright where you are.
The viewing of Comet Lovejoy, also known as C/2014 Q2, is a true once-in-a-lifetime experience, as it won't venture into our cosmic neighborhood again for the next 8,000 years. The comet passed as close as it is going to come to Earth just yesterday, but it will remain easy to spot in the sky for the next two weeks. At this distance, its brightness will be at the 4th magnitude, which should make it visible as a green smudge in the night sky. However, most people will still need a telescope or binoculars to view it because of the fuzziness of Lovejoy and ground lighting which interferes with its viewing.
Over the next two weeks you should be able to find the comet near the Orion constellation. Just look for the green tint in the night sky. According to Astronomy Magazine, it will be travelling about three degrees per day at its peak, so you should notice the movement each night when viewing the comet.
The comet has a unique green glow to it, not usually viewed in the night sky. This is due to the molecules of diatomic carbon in its head, which reflect a green color when exposed to the ultraviolet light from the Sun. While this usually happens with comets, it is often obscured by dust. When a comet is dusty, it appears to glow with the same color as the Sun due to the dust reflected the sunlight.
The comet is named for amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy, who first spotted the space rock on August 17 last year, but this isn't the only comet discovered by the Australian astronomer. Lovejoy has many objects in the sky named for him, although he is best known for the comet C/2011 W3, which put on quite a show for the Southern Hemisphere when it travelled through the Sun's corona in December 2011.
This latest Lovejoy comet last passed through our space neighborhood around 11,500 years ago, according to Sky and Telescope. Due to slight perturbations in the planets, the comet's orbit will alter bringing it back to the Earth's neighborhood in about 8,000 years. The next ten days will be your last chance to catch a glimpse of this particular comet as it continues on its path away from Earth, with no plans for a return in our lifetime or generations to come.
