Can you please tell me exactly where to look? The only thing I can ever find is Venus and the Big Dipper. (Whenever I try to look at a star chart I become overwhelmed and can’t follow it. I am the same way with roadmaps.)
Go here.
try google
when you look at Venus, you are seeing the westernmost line of what we call the ecliptic. Follow that, in an arc, to the east, there you will find Orion. He is a large vertical rectangle with a series of bright stars as his belt and sword.
If you continue to follow to the east, at 10:00 +/- you will find Leo and then Virgo. Lulin will be at the border between these two constellations on the 23rd.
I know what you mean about the star charts...I just started an astronomy hobby recently. Actually, the best place to get started is in a big city by naked eye. Here is a star chart that you can change the viewing options, to make the chart much simpler http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/activities-nightsky-usa.cfm. (uncheck “deep sky”, uncheck “outlines” and “boundaries” for the constellations, uncheck “Bayer/Flamsteed” codes). I have the chart show me only stars with magnitudes of 3.5 or higher. Anything more than that, the chart has too many things to look it. At 3.5, it corresponds with what I can actually see from my urban area.
The first constellation you need to find is Orion. It is by far the easiest constellation in the sky to find. You will see three bright stars in a row (Orions belt) with a bright star on top (Betelgeuse) and a bright one on the bottom (Rigel). From there you need to find Procyon, which is to the “left” of Betelgeuse....keep toggling “left” and you will run into Leo and Saturn. The comet should be a tick below Saturn. Saturn is about twice the distance from Procyon as Procyon is from Betelgeuse.
http://www.skymaps.com/skymaps/tesmn0902.pdf
This is a fairly simple chart to use. Look for Venus to the right of the chart and Orion roughly in the middle. With stars, time is everything. As the Earth rotates, you get a different view. Hold the chart towards a cardinal direction (East, West, etc.) and have that direction at the bottom of the chart. The sky should look similar.
The beauty is when you connect the big dots in the sky and you no longer need the chart!
I recommend www.spaceweather.com. Good photos and maps.
Basically, look to the east. About 9:30 or so you will see the backwards question mark of Leo, and then, lower to the horizon, Saturn. Just below Saturn, you should see the comet.
It will NOT look like what it looks like in the photos.
If you have a good telescope, you might also want to check out Saturn tonight. There is a transit by 4 of Saturn’s moons, almost at the same time as Lulin reaches closest approach.
Those without scope or clear skies might also want to check out: http://www.ccssc.org/ The Coca-Cola Space Science Center in Columbus, GA. They are doing live feed of the comet all night tonight and tomorrow morning.