A
rival to vanquished Comet ISON in 2013, Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) still sweeps
through early morning skies, captured in this starry scene on New Year's day.
The frame stretches some 3.5 degrees across a background of faint stars in the
constellation Hercules. Only just visible to the naked eye from dark sites
before dawn, Lovejoy remains a good target for the northern hemisphere's
binocular equipped skygazers. But this deep exposure shows off Lovejoy's
beautiful tails and tantalizing greenish coma better than binocular views. Not
a sungrazer, this Comet Lovejoy made its closest approach to the Sun around
December 22, looping high above the ecliptic plane. Now headed for the outer
Solar System, Lovejoy began the new year about 6.7 light-minutes from planet
Earth
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