Comet Lovejoy's dazzling path across the night's sky captured in time-lapse video
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The distinct green glow of Comet Lovejoy has been closely watched as it came into view in the night's sky over the past month.
One amateur astronomer has now compiled a series of 100 images he took of the comet, also called Comet C/2014 Q2, as it passed over Grayson, Georgia, in the United States.
Using just a standard SLR camera and tripod, Steve Siedentop was able to create a time-lapse video of the tiny green dot as it moved across the night's sky.
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Eerie diamond in the sky: Comet Lovejoy's striking green glow (pictured above, earlier this month) is caused by light being given off by flourescing carbon molecules
Taken over two hours, the comet can be seen moving into the constellation of Taurus on 10 January.
Comet Lovejoy is around 43 million miles from Earth and was thought to be travelling at around 15 miles a second.
It was first spotted by Australian Terry Lovejoy, who has a prolific record among amateur astronomers, and he named the comet.
To date, Mr Lovejoy, from Queensland, has discovered five comets, all using relatively simple equipment compared to what's found at a professional observatory.
It was first spotted on August 17 and in recent weeks has been dramatically captured on camera by amateur astronomers around the world.
The comet's distinctive green glow comes from molecules of diatomic carbon - two carbon atoms joined together - and cyanogen fluorescing in the ultraviolet light from the sun.
Its tail takes on a more blue tinge due to the carbon monoxide it contains.
This graph shows estimates of Comet Lovejoy's trajectory as it passed closest to the Earth on January 7
The comet is expected to remain visible for much of January and it will climb steadily higher in the night's sky
Lovejoy started off at magnitude 15 brightness and has since reached magnitude 5, the brightness necessary to be seen without the aid of a telescope.
A comet's brightness is measured by magnitude and on the astronomical magnitude scale, lower numbers indicate more intense brightness.
Scientists are now attempting to calculate the Comet Lovejoy's path round the solar system and believe that on its next encounter with the Earth it may come even closer.
However, it is not expected to pass within the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
Comets are essentially piles of rock, gravel, and dust held together by various kinds of ice - essentially water and carbon dioxide ice.
As the comet nears the sun, its icy tail turns into a gas and blows away - due to pressure from the solar wind and sunlight.
They also release dust and gravel which tend to follow the comet around the sun - and if the Earth's orbit intersects this material it results in annual meteor showers.
At its peak levels of brightness, Comet Lovejoy could be spotted with the naked eye on dark nights
First spotted on August 17, Comet Lovejoy was captured on camera above Mount Fuji in Japan (above)
Comet Lovejoy should hit magnitude 4.1 in mid-January, which would mean that sightseers could spot traces of the comet 'from light-polluted city suburbs'.
Some observers were able to spot Lovejoy in late December as it reached magnitude 5.3.
HOW TO SEE COMET LOVEJOY IN THE SKY OVER THE REST OF THE MONTH
Comet Lovejoy is due to remain visible for much of January. Astronomer Gemma Lavender from All About Space magazine explains how to spot the comet in the night sky:
'Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) is growing in brightness and will hit a magnitude of +4.1 in the first two weeks of the new year.
'A magnitude of +4.1 is just over 100 times dimmer than the brightest star in Earth's entire night time sky (Sirius). The more positive the number, the lower the magnitude and the dimmer an object is.
'The comet is currently at a magnitude of around +5.0, meaning that it is an ideal target for those who have received a telescope or pair of binoculars for Christmas.
'The comet is much more favourable for Northern Hemisphere observers. It was a Southern Hemisphere target, but it's leaving their skies now. To observe it, late evening is best, around 10.30pm GMT.
'It's climbing higher and higher in the sky as the nights go on, so by 5 January, you should be able to see it as soon as it gets dark.'
'Even in a pair of 10x50 binoculars and under moderate suburban light pollution, comet Lovejoy appears as a faint, white smudge. If conditions are much more favourable however, you should be able to make out a bit of shape to the comet, particularly at the centre - albeit only just!
'Again, the darker the skies and the better your optical aid, the more you will see. You may even be able to pick out the stunning greenish tint of the comet, but astrophotography will make this much more apparent.
'Comet Lovejoy is close to the southern section of the constellation Lupus (The Hare) and will begin to make its way through the constellation of Eridanus as we head into the new year.'
Stargazers hoping to see the comet can use this graph to locate the comet's position in they sky
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