Above: Finder chart for Monday 2 January 2012.
Comet 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) is still continuing to impress Southern hemipshere observers with a tail of up to 33 degrees being reported and photographed from dark sky locations as of this morning Australian time (1 January 2012). The comet continues to fade as predicted but is still impressing experienced comet observers in dark sky locations. The comet is now much fainter than many parts of the Milky Way but is still worth looking at providing you can observe it away from city light pollution.
In theory, comet observers should be able to enjoy the show for many more nights as Comet 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) is now a circumpolar object – meaning that it never sets for mid-Southern latitude locations. There are a couple of factors that will spoil the show however. The first of these is that at some stage, the nucleus of the comet will run out of volatiles, meaning that the comet will fade to invisibility eventually. The second factor is the Moon. After the morning of Saturday 7 January 2012, the Moon will set (for mid-Southern latitudes) approximately as astronomical twilight ends, and then later the following mornings. This will mean the end of your opportunity to see it in perfectly dark skies (assuming you live away from city lights). By the time the Moon exits the morning sky (after 21 January 2012), it is highly likely that the comet will no longer be visible either photographically or visually.
The best time to see the comet is just before the start of astronomical twilight – between now and the morning of 7 January 2011 from the Southern hemisphere. That is currently approximately around 3 am AEST (4 am daylight savings time).
Above: Finder chart for Tuesday 3 January 2012.
Above: Finder chart for Wednesday 4 January 2012.
