Comet Lovejoy, the fourth comet to be discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy, has now brightened sufficiently to be visible with popular 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars. As it continues to increase in brightness, Lovejoy will soon - at least from a reasonable dark site - be visible to the naked eye and is now predicted to peak at magnitude +4.9 during the last week of November.
Location, magnitude and star chart
During November, the comet continues to be a well-placed morning object for observers in the northern hemisphere. Those located further south are not so fortunate; from equatorial regions it's well placed for most of the month but from southern temperate latitudes, Lovejoy is only visible for about the first two weeks of November. After that it won't be observable until early February.
At the start of November, Lovejoy was located in the dim zodiac constellation of Cancer. On November 7th, it moved just south of beautiful naked eye and binocular open cluster M44 "the Praesepe" before continuing on into Leo on November 11th. As it approached and then passed by M44, Lovejoy was about magnitude +6.3 and a binocular object. Observations revealed a coma of about 10 arc minutes in diameter, although no obvious tail. The comet then cuts a brief passage through Leo, exiting on November 14th into Leo Minor. It continues to climb in a northeastern direction against the fixed background stars, consequently improving its altitude for northern-based observers. On November 16th, Lovejoy passes by star 30 Leo Minor (30 LMi - mag. +4.7). The comet on this day could be as bright as magnitude +5.2 and visible to the naked eye, with the star acting as a good finder object.
November 26th is the predicted peak brightness date for Lovejoy. Positioned in Canes Venatici, it's estimated to be about magnitude +4.9. The comet then slowly decreases in brightness as it heads towards perihelion on December 25th.
The finder chart below shows the positions of comet Lovejoy from November 5 to November 16, 2013.
Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) Finder Chart from November 5 to November 16, 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 Nov 2013 | 08h 04m 40s | 11d 04m 01s | 6.7 | 0.632 | Cancer |
| 02 Nov 2013 | 08h 09m 59s | 12d 06m 12s | 6.6 | 0.612 | Cancer |
| 03 Nov 2013 | 08h 15m 38s | 13d 12m 21s | 6.5 | 0.592 | Cancer |
| 04 Nov 2013 | 08h 21m 41s | 14d 22m 42s | 6.4 | 0.573 | Cancer |
| 05 Nov 2013 | 08h 28m 09s | 15d 37m 26s | 6.3 | 0.554 | Cancer |
| 06 Nov 2013 | 08h 35m 07s | 16d 56m 42s | 6.2 | 0.536 | Cancer |
| 07 Nov 2013 | 08h 42m 35s | 18d 20m 36s | 6.1 | 0.519 | Cancer |
| 08 Nov 2013 | 08h 50m 39s | 19d 49m 09s | 6.0 | 0.502 | Cancer |
| 09 Nov 2013 | 08h 59m 21s | 21d 22m 16s | 5.9 | 0.486 | Cancer |
| 10 Nov 2013 | 09h 08m 46s | 22d 59m 44s | 5.8 | 0.472 | Cancer |
| 11 Nov 2013 | 09h 18m 59s | 24d 41m 07s | 5.7 | 0.458 | Cancer |
| 12 Nov 2013 | 09h 30m 02s | 26d 25m 49s | 5.6 | 0.445 | Leo |
| 13 Nov 2013 | 09h 42m 01s | 28d 12m 56s | 5.5 | 0.434 | Leo |
| 14 Nov 2013 | 09h 54m 59s | 30d 01m 19s | 5.4 | 0.424 | Leo |
| 15 Nov 2013 | 10h 08m 59s | 31d 49m 28s | 5.3 | 0.415 | Leo Minor |
| 16 Nov 2013 | 10h 24m 04s | 33d 35m 40s | 5.2 | 0.408 | Leo Minor |
| 17 Nov 2013 | 10h 40m 13s | 35d 17m 53s | 5.1 | 0.403 | Leo Minor |
| 18 Nov 2013 | 10h 57m 25s | 36d 53m 59s | 5.0 | 0.399 | Ursa Major |
| 19 Nov 2013 | 11h 15m 33s | 38d 21m 49s | 5.0 | 0.397 | Ursa Major |
| 20 Nov 2013 | 11h 34m 29s | 39d 39m 22s | 5.0 | 0.397 | Ursa Major |
| 21 Nov 2013 | 11h 54m 02s | 40d 44m 57s | 4.9 | 0.398 | Ursa Major |
| 22 Nov 2013 | 12h 13m 56s | 41d 37m 22s | 4.9 | 0.401 | Canes Venatici |
| 23 Nov 2013 | 12h 33m 55s | 42d 15m 60s | 4.9 | 0.406 | Canes Venatici |
| 24 Nov 2013 | 12h 53m 43s | 42d 40m 52s | 4.9 | 0.412 | Canes Venatici |
| 25 Nov 2013 | 13h 13m 02s | 42d 52m 34s | 4.9 | 0.420 | Canes Venatici |
| 26 Nov 2013 | 13h 31m 40s | 42d 52m 09s | 4.9 | 0.429 | Canes Venatici |
| 27 Nov 2013 | 13h 49m 24s | 42d 41m 01s | 4.9 | 0.439 | Canes Venatici |
| 28 Nov 2013 | 14h 06m 09s | 42d 20m 43s | 4.9 | 0.451 | Canes Venatici |
| 29 Nov 2013 | 14h 21m 50s | 41d 52m 52s | 5.0 | 0.464 | Boötes |
| 30 Nov 2013 | 14h 36m 25s | 41d 18m 58s | 5.0 | 0.478 | Boötes |
| 01 Dec 2013 | 14h 49m 55s | 40d 40m 25s | 5.0 | 0.492 | Boötes |
| 02 Dec 2013 | 15h 02m 23s | 39d 58m 26s | 5.1 | 0.508 | Boötes |
| 03 Dec 2013 | 15h 13m 52s | 39d 14m 00s | 5.1 | 0.524 | Boötes |
| 04 Dec 2013 | 15h 24m 26s | 38d 27m 60s | 5.1 | 0.541 | Boötes |
| 05 Dec 2013 | 15h 34m 09s | 37d 41m 03s | 5.2 | 0.559 | Corona Borealis |
| 06 Dec 2013 | 15h 43m 06s | 36d 53m 43s | 5.2 | 0.577 | Corona Borealis |
| 07 Dec 2013 | 15h 51m 21s | 36d 06m 22s | 5.3 | 0.595 | Corona Borealis |
| 08 Dec 2013 | 15h 58m 57s | 35d 19m 20s | 5.3 | 0.614 | Corona Borealis |
| 09 Dec 2013 | 16h 05m 59s | 34d 32m 48s | 5.4 | 0.633 | Corona Borealis |
| 10 Dec 2013 | 16h 12m 29s | 33d 46m 57s | 5.4 | 0.652 | Corona Borealis |
| 11 Dec 2013 | 16h 18m 32s | 33d 01m 52s | 5.4 | 0.672 | Corona Borealis |
| 12 Dec 2013 | 16h 24m 08s | 32d 17m 38s | 5.5 | 0.692 | Corona Borealis |
| 13 Dec 2013 | 16h 29m 22s | 31d 34m 16s | 5.5 | 0.712 | Hercules |
| 14 Dec 2013 | 16h 34m 15s | 30d 51m 47s | 5.6 | 0.732 | Hercules |
| 15 Dec 2013 | 16h 38m 49s | 30d 10m 12s | 5.6 | 0.752 | Hercules |
| 16 Dec 2013 | 16h 43m 06s | 29d 29m 29s | 5.7 | 0.772 | Hercules |
| 17 Dec 2013 | 16h 47m 08s | 28d 49m 37s | 5.7 | 0.792 | Hercules |
| 18 Dec 2013 | 16h 50m 56s | 28d 10m 34s | 5.8 | 0.812 | Hercules |
| 19 Dec 2013 | 16h 54m 30s | 27d 32m 19s | 5.8 | 0.832 | Hercules |
| 20 Dec 2013 | 16h 57m 54s | 26d 54m 51s | 5.8 | 0.853 | Hercules |
| 21 Dec 2013 | 17h 01m 07s | 26d 18m 06s | 5.9 | 0.873 | Hercules |
| 22 Dec 2013 | 17h 04m 10s | 25d 42m 03s | 5.9 | 0.892 | Hercules |
| 23 Dec 2013 | 17h 07m 04s | 25d 06m 41s | 6.0 | 0.912 | Hercules |
| 24 Dec 2013 | 17h 09m 50s | 24d 31m 58s | 6.0 | 0.932 | Hercules |
| 25 Dec 2013 | 17h 12m 29s | 23d 57m 52s | 6.1 | 0.951 | Hercules |
| 26 Dec 2013 | 17h 15m 01s | 23d 24m 23s | 6.1 | 0.971 | Hercules |
| 27 Dec 2013 | 17h 17m 27s | 22d 51m 27s | 6.2 | 0.990 | Hercules |
| 28 Dec 2013 | 17h 19m 47s | 22d 19m 05s | 6.2 | 1.009 | Hercules |
| 29 Dec 2013 | 17h 22m 02s | 21d 47m 15s | 6.3 | 1.027 | Hercules |
| 30 Dec 2013 | 17h 24m 12s | 21d 15m 57s | 6.3 | 1.046 | Hercules |
| 31 Dec 2013 | 17h 26m 18s | 20d 45m 09s | 6.4 | 1.064 | Hercules |
See also
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) now within small telescope range