COMET LOVEJOY AT ITS BRIGHTEST

COMET LOVEJOY AT ITS BRIGHTEST

This is a good week to look at Comet Lovejoy, which is reaching maximum brightness as mid-January passes. Experienced observers say the comet is now shining like a star of magnitude +3.8. In other words, it is an easy target for binoculars and visible to the unaided eye from dark-sky sites. On Wednesday night, Ehsan Rostamizadeh of Bidkhoun, Iran, photographed the comet passing by the Pleiades star cluster:

This gives backyard sky watchers a point of comparison: If you can see the Pleiades, you can probably see the comet, too.
A telescope pointed at Comet Lovejoy reveals a fantastic tail more than 10^o long. Regular observers report striking dynamics: Earlier this month, a magnetic storm in the comet's tail caused a "disconnection event" and a blob of plasma to propagate down the long gaseous structure. Every time a gust of solar wind or a CME buffets the comet, something interesting happens. To monitor developments, consult the Comet Lovejoy finder charts from Sky & Telescope. Also, the Minor Planet Center has published an ephemeris for accurate pointing of telescopes.

From SpaceWeather.com