By Desiree Salas (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jan 20, 2015 07:36 PM EST

Ever noticed a green glow in the night skies over the Christmas season? How about during the New Year? You still have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Comet Lovejoy streak by Earth, especially as its peak visibility happens middle of this month.

Why should you look out for this green comet? For one, it's the kind that has not been seen on Earth for about 12,000 years, according to National Geographic.

"This icy visitor to the inner solar system was first spotted by its namesake, Terry Lovejoy, an Australian astronomer using a common backyard telescope with only an eight-inch mirror," the site said. "He spotted the comet while it was still a very faint 15th magnitude."

"The comet wasn't predicted to become visible with the unaided eye until late January or February 2015. But comets can be unpredictable, with chaotic surface activity as they heat up and melt while nearing the sun during orbit," the science news source went on to explain.

Time noted that Comet Lovejoy, which was only discovered in August 2014, will visit our part of the solar system again in about 8,000 years.

So, how do you spot this heavenly body? Those living in non-urban areas will have an easier time identifying this streaker.

In rural places where the skies are clear and very dark, viewers should now be able to see Comet Lovejoy without any optical aids-look for a green fuzzball a bit below the 'belt' of the constellation Orion," Smithsonian.com advised. "The comet appears green because it is releasing cyanogen gas and a type of carbon gas, which both fluoresce when exposed to sunlight."

For the rest of us, the best way to check out Comet Lovejoy is through binoculars.

"Wait until late night, near or after local midnight, for the comet to rise in the southeastern sky and away from the hazy horizon. Hunt for it to the lower right of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius," National Geographic suggested.

As noted by The Washington Post, the comet's nucleus is 2-3 miles in diameter and its gaseous halo is reportedly 400,000 miles across. However, its tail, although incredibly long, can't be detected by the naked eye.

To further help you locate Comet Lovejoy, check out this map by Universe Today.

The comet's discoverer had been finding new comets since 2007, Smithsonian.com said. He's been most famous for being the discoverer of the Great Christmas Comet of 2011, which became "almost as bright as the planet Venus" as it passed by.

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