Comet Lovejoy or C/2014 Q2 is now reaching its maximum brightness but could be overshadowed by the full moon.

Astronomers said Comet Lovejoy is presently shining at a magnitude of +5.0. Fortunately, the New Year's comet is expected to burn brightest on Wednesday (January 7). One astronomer fears the full moon will outshine the comet in the night sky.

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"Unless the comet has become unexpectedly bright then I doubt that it's worth looking for when the moon is in the sky," said retired New Zealand astronomer Alan Gilmore.

Comet Lovejoy will pass the constellation Orion while moving through Taurus and into Aries in the coming weeks.

Lovejoy will be above and left of Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation Orion. It will move slightly each night. On January 14, it will be in the Pleiades/Matariki star cluster.

The comet is already visible to the unaided eye under good sky conditions. But sky gazers in the Northern Hemisphere will have the better opportunity to see it from Wednesday.

With each passing day, the comet will start moving higher in the northern sky, which means it should be visible much earlier.

The comet was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy just after the dawn on August 17, 2007 from his rooftop observatory in Queensland, Australia.

TagsComet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, comet, Lovejoy, constellation, Astronomy, stargazing, skygazers, skygazing