Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) dazzles stargazers

IS IT a bird? Is it a plane? Readers are reporting a bright streak across the sky as comet Lovejoy reaches maximum brightness.

Supplied Editorial 05012014comets

IS IT a bird? Is it a plane? Readers are reporting a bright streak across the sky as comet Lovejoy reaches maximum brightness.

Discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy from his Brisbane rooftop on August 17, the comet — C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) — is now glowing so brightly it can be seen by the naked eye.

Some observers were able to spot the comet in late December, but it will be closest to earth on January 7.

Comet watch ... a reader spotted this fiery streak over Sydney’s St Ives. Picture: Shaun Standfield

The comet was not expected to be this visible until late January or February, but its brightness has reportedly increased hundreds of times since the middle of the year. It began as magnitude 15 brightness (when Mr Lovejoy first spotted it) and has since reached magnitude 5, rendering it visible without the aid of a telescope.

By mid-January it should be at magnitude 4.1, meaning it will be able to be seen even from well-lit urban environments.

VIDEO: Timelapse photography of Comet Lovejoy

Mr Lovejoy has discovered five comets, the Weather Channel reports, all using fairly simple equipment. Earlier namesake comets include Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3), that miraculously survived a close encounter with the sun, and Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) that was visible unaided by equipment in November 2013.

Comet #Lovejoy & a #meteor w/ a persistent train Credit: Y. Aoshima http://t.co/6VIHQT0FOi #cometlovejoy #japan pic.twitter.com/grA8Imva9e

— Observing Space (@ObservingSpace) January 4, 2015

In photographs by astronomers, comet Lovejoy glows green. The colour is due to two gases that emanate from the comet: cyanogen and diatomic carbon, which both glow green when sunlight passes through them.