Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), a long-period comet discovered by Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy on August 17, 2014, is making closest approach to our planet today, at some 70 million kilometers (43.5 million miles / 0.469 AU) away.
This comet is now a naked eye object and predictions call for it to continue brightening from 5th to 4th magnitude for the next couple of weeks. This makes it an easy target for both binoculars and even naked-eye observations for those who know where to look (finder chart during January 2015 by Sky&Telescope).
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe this comet so close as its next scheduled appearance through our neighborhood is due around the year 10 000.
