Someone said it was definitely not a UFO, while another thought it was Santa on his way home from the pub, someone else said no, it could not be him because he was already back at the North Pole.

In fact the new comet (officially catalogued as 2014 Q2, or Q2 for short) is expected to put on a good show this month and will be able to be viewed with small telescopes and binoculars as it moves from south to north across the sky.

The comet was discovered by an amateur Queensland astronomer, Terry Lovejoy, who lives in Birkdale on August 17 2014. It is the fifth one he has discovered since 2007.

It will appear as a fuzzy greenish colour and will come within 43 million miles of earth on January 7, before it makes its closest approach to the sun on January 18.

It’s not the first time the comet has been in our neck of the woods either. Because of its elongated orbit around the sun it was last here 11,500 years ago, but scientists have estimated that this time its swing around the sun will cost Q2 some energy, so it will be back again earlier next orbit; in about 8000 years.