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.
Comet Lovejoy - See It Now: A New Comet Will Sail from Southern to Northern Skies http://www.pbase.com/terrylovejoy/c2007e2 http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz/c...mond-nz-nz.jpg
26-Mar-2007, 06:10
Comet Lovejoy 
