Green comet 'Lovejoy' lights up the New Year sky

Video: A green-glowing comet will reach its closest position to Earth on January 7

(Phil Hart)

The comet Lovejoy is set to light up the skies and excite many a stargazer over the first week of the New Year as it reaches its closest point to Earth.

The comet, formerly known as C/2014 Q2, is named after amateur Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy and was discovered in August.

The comet has been growing more visible in recent weeks to those living in the Southern Hempishere and Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the comet will reach its nearest position to Earth on January 7, a distance of about 70.2 million kilometres away. Thus, the green-glowing comet will be visible to those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Vimeo user Phil Hart produced an amazing time-lapse video of Lovejoy as seen in Australia, revealing the stunning appearance of the comet.