The Author – Bart Busschots
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Oct
26
Comet 17/P Holmes Observed Again
Filed Under Science & Astronomy on October 26, 2007 at 1:12 am
After yesterday’s surprise outburst comet 17/P Holmes continues to put on a great show. This object is highly dynamic and you can watch it move day-to-day with just the naked eye. Between yesterday and today the comet has moved noticeably closer to the star Alpha Persei and has also definitely brightened. Yesterday Holmes and the star Delta Persei looked to be the same brightness, today the comet is definitely brighter than the star. I’d estimate it’s brightness at about Magnitude 2.5.
I’ve been following the comet with my trusty 10x50mm binoculars and the changes are even more spectacular through them. Yesterday Holmes looked like a star, a point of light with no noticeable coma or tail. Today, it looks like a compact globular cluster with a bright core. Yesterday I didn’t really notice a colour buy today it’s clearly yellow. I’ve never seen an astronomical object change so much so quickly. I hope we get to watch this fascinating object evolve for a few more days to come, however, the weather forecast for us here in Ireland is not looking good :(.
I’ll leave you with a scan of my record of today’s observation of the comet:
[tags]Astronomy, Comet, Holmes[/tags]
hello my friend! I`m writting you from el salvador…I just “discovered” the comet last nigth on my way home and was surprised to see a “Star” in Perseus that did`nt belong to him!!My first thought was “boy!..is that a supernova!???”…since no tail or coma was visible to the naked eye!…then i saw it throuhg my 4 inches newtonian telescope and there it was!!..that BEAUTIFUL comet!!
Congrats from this land!…and happy observing to you and to all of us…lovers of the COSMOS
Hello my friends abroad. Leave it to the beauty and wonder of the cosmos to unite us as a species. A lone wanderer makes a trip into our neighbourhood and puts on a show that delights an entire hemisphere. Regardless of political boundaries or ideologies, we’re all equally fascinated and reminded that the Universe is far from static and unchanging! I was able to share a fantastic view of the comet with my wife and children with a small Meade ETX60 complete with glaring full Moon. Better yet was the naked eye spectacle of seeing the comet without any effort whatsoever. Oct 26 I was able to image the comet with my 10″ LX200GPS and CCD. WOW! Even though there are no signs of a tail, I could detect some structure in the nucleus and surroung coma. Lets hope comet 17/P Holmes continues to put on a show for a while.
Hi guys,
Thanks very much for your wonderful comments. It really is great to see people from all over the world united by our love of the heavens.
Bart.
Greetings from the Sonoran Desert! I finally viewed this comet this evening through my amateur level Meade telescope from my back-yard. I found it strikingly easy to locate thanks to it getting larger. Treats like this are rare and should leave us to ponder the grand design.
I’ve been out watching the beautiful Comet 17/P Holmes the past three nights from here in Toledo, Ohio, USA with my 10X50 binouculars but I am sure having problems trying to get a picture of it. It just does’nt seem bright enough for me to find. I’m using a Minolta SLR 35mm camera and a 500mm telephoto lens, and a 135mm lens and plain can’t find it. My 10 year old Grandson is enjoying it with ne though.
Hi Doug,
I’m not much of an expert on photography but the guys over at http://www.irishastronomy.org are. They are a really friendly bunch and there’s a lot of guys in there with a lot of experience when it comes to taking pictures of things at night. Glad your Grandson is getting enjoyment out of the great comet too.
Bart.
Hello, i heard of this comet on the german news, looked on the net for it’s location.
on 1:30 hours at night it is almost exactly in zenith here ( veendam, the netherlands)
yesterday evening, 31 okt., there was a gap in the clowds for about 30 minuts so i got out with my lxd75 with a nikon D70-body attached to its focusser.(no further lenses or eye-pieces inbetween,just the mirrors of the 6 inch newton,762mm)
at 800asa and 30 seconds it gave a very beautifull and well exposed picture of this comet.
i hope the skies clear up for the days to come, it was terrible last week.
if you like the picture mail me
clear skies
Henk
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