This year is turning out to be a bumper year for comets. We have already seen two naked eye comets in PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) and Comet Lemmon (C/2012 F6), with much anticipated ISON (C/2012 S1) still to hit its best as it heads towards next month's perihelion.
To add to the mix periodic comet Encke (2P/Encke) is currently visible in the morning skies. Although not naked eye, Encke should reach binocular magnitude during November. In addition, one more recently discovered comet could also soon hit the fringe of naked eye brightness; its name comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1).
Discovery
Australian Terry Lovejoy, an information technologist and amateur astronomer discovered the comet on September 7, 2013. He imaged it at mag. +14.4 with a digital camera attached to his 200mm (8-inch) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
Incredibly, this is the fourth comet discovered by Lovejoy in the space of just 6 years. One previous discovery of particular note was C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), the first Kreutz Sungrazing comet discovered by ground-based observation for more than 40 years.
Location, magnitude and star chart
Comet Lovejoy is a well-placed early morning object during October from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It remains in good condition for Northern Hemisphere observers for the remainder of the year and well into 2014. However, those located in the Southern Hemisphere aren't so lucky; Lovejoy won't be observable from mid-November to early February.
The comet started October moving at a leisurely pace through Monoceros before crossing the constellation border into Canis Minor on October 17th. During this time it brightened by over a magnitude (from +10.3 to +9.0) and to within small telescope range. The comet could also be glimpsed with large 20x80 binoculars although remained beyond the reach of popular 10x50 binoculars. However that will hopefully change soon, Lovejoy is predicted to reach magnitude +5.9 by the end of November.
On October 26th, Lovejoy passes less than a degree north of first magnitude star Procyon (α CMi - mag. +0.34). It remains in Canis Minor until October 30th, before passing into Cancer. On November 7th, Lovejoy is located just south of M44 "the Praesepe" open cluster. It then moves briefly into Leo from November 11th to November 14th. On the 14th, Lovejoy should be at about magnitude +6.3 and an easy small telescope and binocular object.
The finder chart below shows the positions of Comet Lovejoy from October 14 to November 7, 2013.
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) Finder Chart from October 14 to November 7, 2013 - pdf format
C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) Data (at epoch September 23, 2013)
| Name | C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) |
|---|---|
| Type | Comet |
| Discoverer | Terry Lovejoy |
| Discovery date | September 7, 2013 |
| Aphelion (AU) | 678.767 |
| Perihelion (AU) | 0.81161 |
| Semi-major axis | 339.789 |
| Eccentricity | 0.99761 |
| Orbital period (years) | 6263.58 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 64.0403 |
| Longitude of ascending node (degrees) | 70.7012 |
| Perihelion | December 25th, 2013 |
| Notes | Fourth comet discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy |
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) Data Table
| Date | Right Ascension | Declination | Estimated Magnitude | Distance from Earth (AU) | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Oct 2013 | 06h 36m 13s | -03d 26m 23s | 10.3 | 1.357 | Monoceros |
| 02 Oct 2013 | 06h 38m 04s | -03d 14m 16s | 10.3 | 1.332 | Monoceros |
| 03 Oct 2013 | 06h 39m 57s | -03d 01m 39s | 10.2 | 1.308 | Monoceros |
| 04 Oct 2013 | 06h 41m 51s | -02d 48m 30s | 10.1 | 1.284 | Monoceros |
| 05 Oct 2013 | 06h 43m 48s | -02d 34m 48s | 10.0 | 1.259 | Monoceros |
| 06 Oct 2013 | 06h 45m 47s | -02d 20m 28s | 10.0 | 1.235 | Monoceros |
| 07 Oct 2013 | 06h 47m 47s | -02d 05m 31s | 9.9 | 1.210 | Monoceros |
| 08 Oct 2013 | 06h 49m 50s | -01d 49m 52s | 9.8 | 1.186 | Monoceros |
| 09 Oct 2013 | 06h 51m 56s | -01d 33m 29s | 9.8 | 1.162 | Monoceros |
| 10 Oct 2013 | 06h 54m 05s | -01d 16m 19s | 9.7 | 1.138 | Monoceros |
| 11 Oct 2013 | 06h 56m 16s | -00d 58m 20s | 9.6 | 1.113 | Monoceros |
| 12 Oct 2013 | 06h 58m 30s | -00d 39m 27s | 9.5 | 1.089 | Monoceros |
| 13 Oct 2013 | 07h 00m 48s | -00d 19m 37s | 9.4 | 1.065 | Monoceros |
| 14 Oct 2013 | 07h 03m 10s | 00d 01m 13s | 9.4 | 1.041 | Monoceros |
| 15 Oct 2013 | 07h 05m 35s | 00d 23m 08s | 9.3 | 1.017 | Monoceros |
| 16 Oct 2013 | 07h 08m 05s | 00d 46m 13s | 9.2 | 0.993 | Monoceros |
| 17 Oct 2013 | 07h 10m 39s | 01d 10m 32s | 9.1 | 0.969 | Monoceros |
| 18 Oct 2013 | 07h 13m 18s | 01d 36m 11s | 9.0 | 0.946 | Canis Minor |
| 19 Oct 2013 | 07h 16m 03s | 02d 03m 15s | 8.9 | 0.922 | Canis Minor |
| 20 Oct 2013 | 07h 18m 53s | 02d 31m 50s | 8.8 | 0.899 | Canis Minor |
| 21 Oct 2013 | 07h 21m 50s | 03d 02m 03s | 8.8 | 0.875 | Canis Minor |
| 22 Oct 2013 | 07h 24m 53s | 03d 34m 01s | 8.7 | 0.852 | Canis Minor |
| 23 Oct 2013 | 07h 28m 04s | 04d 07m 53s | 8.6 | 0.829 | Canis Minor |
| 24 Oct 2013 | 07h 31m 23s | 04d 43m 45s | 8.5 | 0.806 | Canis Minor |
| 25 Oct 2013 | 07h 34m 51s | 05d 21m 49s | 8.4 | 0.784 | Canis Minor |
| 26 Oct 2013 | 07h 38m 29s | 06d 02m 12s | 8.3 | 0.761 | Canis Minor |
| 27 Oct 2013 | 07h 42m 18s | 06d 45m 05s | 8.2 | 0.739 | Canis Minor |
| 28 Oct 2013 | 07h 46m 18s | 07d 30m 41s | 8.1 | 0.717 | Canis Minor |
| 29 Oct 2013 | 07h 50m 31s | 08d 19m 09s | 8.0 | 0.695 | Canis Minor |
| 30 Oct 2013 | 07h 54m 58s | 09d 10m 43s | 7.9 | 0.674 | Canis Minor |
| 31 Oct 2013 | 07h 59m 40s | 10d 05m 36s | 7.8 | 0.653 | Cancer |
| 01 Nov 2013 | 08h 04m 40s | 11d 04m 01s | 7.7 | 0.632 | Cancer |
| 02 Nov 2013 | 08h 09m 59s | 12d 06m 12s | 7.6 | 0.612 | Cancer |
| 03 Nov 2013 | 08h 15m 38s | 13d 12m 21s | 7.5 | 0.592 | Cancer |
| 04 Nov 2013 | 08h 21m 41s | 14d 22m 42s | 7.3 | 0.573 | Cancer |
| 05 Nov 2013 | 08h 28m 09s | 15d 37m 26s | 7.2 | 0.554 | Cancer |
| 06 Nov 2013 | 08h 35m 07s | 16d 56m 42s | 7.1 | 0.536 | Cancer |
| 07 Nov 2013 | 08h 42m 35s | 18d 20m 36s | 7.0 | 0.519 | Cancer |
| 08 Nov 2013 | 08h 50m 39s | 19d 49m 09s | 6.9 | 0.502 | Cancer |
| 09 Nov 2013 | 08h 59m 21s | 21d 22m 16s | 6.8 | 0.486 | Cancer |
| 10 Nov 2013 | 09h 08m 46s | 22d 59m 44s | 6.7 | 0.472 | Cancer |
| 11 Nov 2013 | 09h 18m 59s | 24d 41m 07s | 6.6 | 0.458 | Cancer |
| 12 Nov 2013 | 09h 30m 02s | 26d 25m 49s | 6.5 | 0.445 | Leo |
| 13 Nov 2013 | 09h 42m 01s | 28d 12m 56s | 6.4 | 0.434 | Leo |
| 14 Nov 2013 | 09h 54m 59s | 30d 01m 19s | 6.3 | 0.424 | Leo |
| 15 Nov 2013 | 10h 08m 59s | 31d 49m 28s | 6.2 | 0.415 | Leo Minor |
| 16 Nov 2013 | 10h 24m 04s | 33d 35m 40s | 6.2 | 0.408 | Leo Minor |
| 17 Nov 2013 | 10h 40m 13s | 35d 17m 53s | 6.1 | 0.403 | Leo Minor |
| 18 Nov 2013 | 10h 57m 25s | 36d 53m 59s | 6.0 | 0.399 | Ursa Major |
| 19 Nov 2013 | 11h 15m 33s | 38d 21m 49s | 6.0 | 0.397 | Ursa Major |
| 20 Nov 2013 | 11h 34m 29s | 39d 39m 22s | 6.0 | 0.397 | Ursa Major |
| 21 Nov 2013 | 11h 54m 02s | 40d 44m 57s | 5.9 | 0.398 | Ursa Major |
| 22 Nov 2013 | 12h 13m 56s | 41d 37m 22s | 5.9 | 0.401 | Canes Venatici |
| 23 Nov 2013 | 12h 33m 55s | 42d 15m 60s | 5.9 | 0.406 | Canes Venatici |
| 24 Nov 2013 | 12h 53m 43s | 42d 40m 52s | 5.9 | 0.412 | Canes Venatici |
| 25 Nov 2013 | 13h 13m 02s | 42d 52m 34s | 5.9 | 0.420 | Canes Venatici |
| 26 Nov 2013 | 13h 31m 40s | 42d 52m 09s | 5.9 | 0.429 | Canes Venatici |
| 27 Nov 2013 | 13h 49m 24s | 42d 41m 01s | 5.9 | 0.439 | Canes Venatici |
| 28 Nov 2013 | 14h 06m 09s | 42d 20m 43s | 5.9 | 0.451 | Canes Venatici |
| 29 Nov 2013 | 14h 21m 50s | 41d 52m 52s | 6.0 | 0.464 | Boötes |
| 30 Nov 2013 | 14h 36m 25s | 41d 18m 58s | 6.0 | 0.478 | Boötes |
| 01 Dec 2013 | 14h 49m 55s | 40d 40m 25s | 6.0 | 0.492 | Boötes |
| 02 Dec 2013 | 15h 02m 23s | 39d 58m 26s | 6.1 | 0.508 | Boötes |
| 03 Dec 2013 | 15h 13m 52s | 39d 14m 00s | 6.1 | 0.524 | Boötes |
| 04 Dec 2013 | 15h 24m 26s | 38d 27m 60s | 6.1 | 0.541 | Boötes |
| 05 Dec 2013 | 15h 34m 09s | 37d 41m 03s | 6.2 | 0.559 | Corona Borealis |
| 06 Dec 2013 | 15h 43m 06s | 36d 53m 43s | 6.2 | 0.577 | Corona Borealis |
| 07 Dec 2013 | 15h 51m 21s | 36d 06m 22s | 6.3 | 0.595 | Corona Borealis |
| 08 Dec 2013 | 15h 58m 57s | 35d 19m 20s | 6.3 | 0.614 | Corona Borealis |
| 09 Dec 2013 | 16h 05m 59s | 34d 32m 48s | 6.4 | 0.633 | Corona Borealis |
| 10 Dec 2013 | 16h 12m 29s | 33d 46m 57s | 6.4 | 0.652 | Corona Borealis |
| 11 Dec 2013 | 16h 18m 32s | 33d 01m 52s | 6.4 | 0.672 | Corona Borealis |
| 12 Dec 2013 | 16h 24m 08s | 32d 17m 38s | 6.5 | 0.692 | Corona Borealis |
| 13 Dec 2013 | 16h 29m 22s | 31d 34m 16s | 6.5 | 0.712 | Hercules |
| 14 Dec 2013 | 16h 34m 15s | 30d 51m 47s | 6.6 | 0.732 | Hercules |
| 15 Dec 2013 | 16h 38m 49s | 30d 10m 12s | 6.6 | 0.752 | Hercules |
| 16 Dec 2013 | 16h 43m 06s | 29d 29m 29s | 6.7 | 0.772 | Hercules |
| 17 Dec 2013 | 16h 47m 08s | 28d 49m 37s | 6.7 | 0.792 | Hercules |
| 18 Dec 2013 | 16h 50m 56s | 28d 10m 34s | 6.8 | 0.812 | Hercules |
| 19 Dec 2013 | 16h 54m 30s | 27d 32m 19s | 6.8 | 0.832 | Hercules |
| 20 Dec 2013 | 16h 57m 54s | 26d 54m 51s | 6.8 | 0.853 | Hercules |
| 21 Dec 2013 | 17h 01m 07s | 26d 18m 06s | 6.9 | 0.873 | Hercules |
| 22 Dec 2013 | 17h 04m 10s | 25d 42m 03s | 6.9 | 0.892 | Hercules |
| 23 Dec 2013 | 17h 07m 04s | 25d 06m 41s | 7.0 | 0.912 | Hercules |
| 24 Dec 2013 | 17h 09m 50s | 24d 31m 58s | 7.0 | 0.932 | Hercules |
| 25 Dec 2013 | 17h 12m 29s | 23d 57m 52s | 7.1 | 0.951 | Hercules |
| 26 Dec 2013 | 17h 15m 01s | 23d 24m 23s | 7.1 | 0.971 | Hercules |
| 27 Dec 2013 | 17h 17m 27s | 22d 51m 27s | 7.2 | 0.990 | Hercules |
| 28 Dec 2013 | 17h 19m 47s | 22d 19m 05s | 7.2 | 1.009 | Hercules |
| 29 Dec 2013 | 17h 22m 02s | 21d 47m 15s | 7.3 | 1.027 | Hercules |
| 30 Dec 2013 | 17h 24m 12s | 21d 15m 57s | 7.3 | 1.046 | Hercules |
| 31 Dec 2013 | 17h 26m 18s | 20d 45m 09s | 7.4 | 1.064 | Hercules |
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) remains visible with binoculars and small telescopes
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) a January 2014 binocular comet
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) continues to impress into December 2013
Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) a naked eye Northern Hemisphere comet during December
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) remains a naked eye object, easy with binoculars
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) reaches naked eye brightness
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) visible with binoculars