C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)
C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is a long-period comet discovered on 17 August 2014 by Terry Lovejoy using a 0.2-meter (8 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. It was discovered at apparent magnitude 15 in the southern constellation of Puppis. It is the fifth comet discovered by Terry Lovejoy. Its blue-green glow is the result of organic molecules (mostly Diatomic carbon) and water released by the comet fluorescing under the intense UV and optical light of the Sun as it passes through space.
C/2014 Q2 as imaged 19 January 2015 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Terry Lovejoy 0.2-m Schmidt (Q80) |
| Discovery date | 17 August 2014 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 18 January 2015 |
| Perihelion | 1.29077 AU (q) |
| Eccentricity | 0.99811 |
| Orbital period | ~11000 years inbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 1950) ~8000 years outbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 2050) |
| Inclination | 80.301° |
| Last perihelion | 30 January 2015 |
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