Bursting Comet Holmes Visible In Night Sky
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Tim [email protected]
On Oct. 23, comet 17P/Holmes captured the attention of astronomers worldwide when it suddenly began to break apart, casting a bright cloud of gas, ice, dust and debris. The cloud reflects the sun's light, making the comet appear large.
"All of a sudden it flared up a million fold," said Del Fisher, observatory director of the Warsaw Astronomical Society. "It went from about a magnitude 17 to the second magnitude. That's as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper for example."
Fisher said, before Oct. 23, 17P/Holmes was known in the astronomy world as a rather boring comet.
"It was to the point that I didn't look at it anymore," Fisher said. "It was very dim. A large telescope was required to see it."
Warsaw astronomer Al Mitterling said the comet's increase in brightness happened within a matter of hours.
"Most comets are fairly faint unless you have a telescope," Mitterling said. "The thing about this comet is it brightened within a matter of hours to the second magnitude; as bright as the brightest stars in the sky."
Astronomers are speculating as to why 17P/Holmes began to break apart. Mitterling said it's possible pockets of gas within the comet collapsed, but there could be other explanations for the sudden phenomenon. Whatever the cause, he said, the comet's behavior is very unusual.
"We're talking about something that's between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter," Mitterling said. "For us to see something that far with that much size and brightness is pretty remarkable. Most of the top astronomers in the world are giving this attention right now."
Comet 17P/Holmes was discovered in 1892 by British astronomer Edwin Holmes. At that time, the comet was exhibiting a similar brightening.
The comet is visible to the naked eye. To get a better look, Fisher and Mitterling suggest using a telescope or even a pair of binoculars. 17P/Holmes appears in the northeast section of the sky. Mitterling said around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. is the best time to spot the comet. To the naked eye it will appear as a large, hazy spot near the constellation Perseus.
"Anybody that goes out there is going to be impressed if they see this thing," said Mitterling.
Astronomers don't know exactly how long the comet's outburst will last. Mitterling said it could dim just as quickly as it flared up.
Mitterling said 17P/Holmes illustrates an important point about the solar system.
"Comets are one of the mysteries of the solar system still," he said. "There's still a lot to learn about them."[[In-content Ad]]
On Oct. 23, comet 17P/Holmes captured the attention of astronomers worldwide when it suddenly began to break apart, casting a bright cloud of gas, ice, dust and debris. The cloud reflects the sun's light, making the comet appear large.
"All of a sudden it flared up a million fold," said Del Fisher, observatory director of the Warsaw Astronomical Society. "It went from about a magnitude 17 to the second magnitude. That's as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper for example."
Fisher said, before Oct. 23, 17P/Holmes was known in the astronomy world as a rather boring comet.
"It was to the point that I didn't look at it anymore," Fisher said. "It was very dim. A large telescope was required to see it."
Warsaw astronomer Al Mitterling said the comet's increase in brightness happened within a matter of hours.
"Most comets are fairly faint unless you have a telescope," Mitterling said. "The thing about this comet is it brightened within a matter of hours to the second magnitude; as bright as the brightest stars in the sky."
Astronomers are speculating as to why 17P/Holmes began to break apart. Mitterling said it's possible pockets of gas within the comet collapsed, but there could be other explanations for the sudden phenomenon. Whatever the cause, he said, the comet's behavior is very unusual.
"We're talking about something that's between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter," Mitterling said. "For us to see something that far with that much size and brightness is pretty remarkable. Most of the top astronomers in the world are giving this attention right now."
Comet 17P/Holmes was discovered in 1892 by British astronomer Edwin Holmes. At that time, the comet was exhibiting a similar brightening.
The comet is visible to the naked eye. To get a better look, Fisher and Mitterling suggest using a telescope or even a pair of binoculars. 17P/Holmes appears in the northeast section of the sky. Mitterling said around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. is the best time to spot the comet. To the naked eye it will appear as a large, hazy spot near the constellation Perseus.
"Anybody that goes out there is going to be impressed if they see this thing," said Mitterling.
Astronomers don't know exactly how long the comet's outburst will last. Mitterling said it could dim just as quickly as it flared up.
Mitterling said 17P/Holmes illustrates an important point about the solar system.
"Comets are one of the mysteries of the solar system still," he said. "There's still a lot to learn about them."[[In-content Ad]]
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