Rare comet to shine bright over Sask. Wednesday night

It hasn’t been by earth for nearly 8,000 years but on Wednesday, you will have the chance to see Comet Lovejoy.
 
It has actually been noticeable for several days now but today is when it is closest to earth – about 70 million kilometres.
 
“You should be able to see it with binoculars, especially if you get there before the moon does,” said Hope Boyce, an astronomy undergraduate student at the University of Saskatchewan.
 
Your best chance to see it will be when it is completely dark outside and there is no light pollution or clouds. The wandering space object is greenish in colour and should be located around Orion’s belt. If you look closely, you might be able to get a glimpse with the naked eye.
 
Once it travels by, it will continue on its path past Pluto and will not be seen for another 8,000 years. In the meantime, Boyce will be studying the object from the Observatory at the U of S.
 
A comet flying by earth is fairly rare – it happens just a few times a year.
 
The comet is named after Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy.

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