Green comet captured by digital camera

CNET News.com staff | May 01, 2007

For more than two years, Terry Lovejoy of Queensland, Australia, has been chasing comets with his digital camera--and last month he caught one. Using a Canon 350D with a zoom lens set to 200-mm focal length at f/2.8, Lovejoy spotted, in exposures of 90 seconds, a green comet that now carries his name. This was the first first-time sighting of a comet using a digital camera.

Comet Lovejoy reached its closest approach to the sun on March 27 and will become visible in the Northern Hemisphere next week. Unfortunately, it won't be visible to the naked eye, but it can probably be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. Here's where to look.

More images of the comet: