-
Comet Lovejoy, seen with the naked eye. - Source: Noel Munford
Sky watchers are in for an early Christmas treat, with the Comet Lovejoy visible to the naked eye.
Lovejoy originally seemed destined for a fiery end, flying into the sun's super hot atmosphere.
But it confounded the predictions of experts: while passing only 120,000 km from the sun's surface, Lovejoy came out intact.
Video footage from NASA shows the comet being buffeted by the solar forces.
The comet is now visible from the Southern Hemisphere, its plume appearing like a searchlight beam in the South East sky.
And over the next few days the comet will become more impressive, as it will rise earlier each day and will be presented against a darker background.
But keen star gazers will have to contend with an early morning start - the comet rises at 3.30am.
Noel Munford, Publicity Officer at the Palmerston North Astronomical Society says that in terms of impressiveness Comet Lovejoy is getting close to the spectacular Comet McNaught seen a few years ago.
Munford says while it's an early start, the spectacular sight is well worth getting up to appreciate, especially if you take a short drive away from the glare of the city lights.
