# Is anyone looking out for Comet Lovejoy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212 "2015-01-07T12:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/1 "2015-01-07T12:22:17Z")
I got a pretty good view of it through binoculars this evening for an hour or so, until the rising moon started to make it difficult. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/2 "2015-01-07T15:19:42Z")
My 9 year old is getting interested in astronomy, so I was going to go outside with him one evening and try to find the comet with binoculars. I understand the waning, yet still-bright moon will rise later at night in the next week or two, so we might try more toward the middle of January to beat moonrise. Plus, we have bitter cold right now- single digits (F), so hanging out comet-gazing will not be much fun this week. Hopefully it warms up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/3 "2015-01-07T15:29:13Z")
Thank you for mentioning this! I’m going to look for it tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/4 "2015-01-07T16:09:06Z")
I’ll be taking a look this evening as well. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/5 "2015-01-07T23:17:02Z")
Keep an eye out for the LadyJane asteroid, they tend to operate in the same orbit. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/6 "2015-01-14T11:47:52Z")
It’s clear tonight for the first time in a week and I’ve just been having a look at Lovejoy. I still can’t see it with the naked eye, but it’s pretty easy to pick out with binoculars: fuzzy, with a greenish tinge. It’s impressive how far it’s travelled in just a week. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/7 "2015-01-14T14:07:44Z")
I hadn’t heard about this. Where should I be looking for it, and when? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/8 "2015-01-14T22:26:18Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Where should I be looking for it, and when? Have a look at this [star map](http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Lovejoy2-550px.SkyTel1.gif). The comet’s passing through \*Taurus \*and heading for _Aries_. Once it’s completely dark, find Aldebaran and then work your way left with a pair of binoculars. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/9 "2015-01-14T22:29:47Z")
Which comet Lovejoy? I think there is more than one named after Lovejoy. Anyway, why is it called the Green Comet? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/10 "2015-01-14T22:34:23Z")
The one first spotted in August last year: Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2). ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/11 "2015-01-14T23:23:29Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Anyway, why is it called the Green Comet? Because it’s kind of greenish. It’s gassing off a lot of CO and I guess that fluoresces green or something. We’ve been keeping an eye out for it with binoculars at home, but the weather hasn’t been optimal. Last night was beautifully clear and we took the kids up to our community observatory. They have nice equipment, so we got some very good views. Even through a regular telescope, 14", it looks faintly greenish. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/12 "2015-01-15T02:04:15Z")
It’s been cloudy here for a solid week+. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/13 "2015-01-15T03:30:19Z")
Saw it the past couple of nights. It’s going to pass reasonably close to Pleiades. It’s not very bright, and isn’t really showing a tail - sort of a dim, slightly greenish fuzzball. But any comet is worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/14 "2015-01-16T22:51:44Z")
Beautifully coincided with my absolutely stellar (sorry) Christmas gift from hubby of my dream telescope. I saw a fuzzy greenish smudge in the scope…and proceeded to become so excited that I knocked it out of view and could not relocate it…but it was awesome nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/15 "2015-01-16T23:25:20Z")
It was easy to spot again last night here. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/16 "2015-01-18T04:12:23Z")
Looking out for it? What, is it behind me? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-looking-out-for-comet-lovejoy/709212/17 "2015-01-18T04:20:44Z")
How bright is it supposed to get?