Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2
January 18, 2015
Photographers: Dr. Paolo Candy; John Chumack
Summary Authors: Dr. Paolo Candy; John Chumack
The photo at top shows Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2 as observed on January 12, 2015, from the Cimini Astronomical Observatory in Viterbo, Italy. Because the sky was very clear and there was no moonlight, I could see it with the naked eye. But if you don't have optimum viewing conditions (away from any light pollution), you'll have better luck with binoculars. I could detect its tail with my 9x63 binoculars. Comet Lovejoy is now about magnitude 3.8 and is predicted to remain near this magnitude for the next several days. The bottom photo was taken on January 15, 2015, at about 8:00 p.m. (local time) from Yellow Springs, Ohio. Here, Comet Lovejoy is seen cruising past the Pleiades (also known as the the Seven Sisters) high in the evening sky. It was amazingly bright through binoculars.
Comet Lovejoy was discovered on August 17, 2014, by Terry Lovejoy of Queensland, Australia. It's his fifth comet discovery. This comet is now putting on a nice show for residents of both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.
Photo Details: Top - CCD Camera; Apogee Alta U-47; LRGB image; 16 minute exposure; Zena Baker-Schmidt Astrograph 8 in. telescope; F/2. Image taken at the Cimini Astronomical Observatory in Viterbo, Italy. Bottom: Canon 6D DSLR camera; 105 mm lens; F5.0; ISO 800; on a CG-4 Tracking Mount; 14 x 180 second exposures stacked in DSS; 42 minutes total.
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