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A Celestial Surprise for Halloween!
Left image: Taken by the CSA Observatory on October 26, 2007, at 00:37 UTC, with an LX200 GPS, 4064 mm focal length, and a Canon 300D, 5 x 2.5s, combined to improve signal-to-noise ratio. Centre image: Taken by Robert Saint-Jean on October 29, 2007, at 02:18 UTC with a C235, f/10, and Canon 300D, ISO 200, 4x30s.
Right image: Image acquired from CSA Observatory on October 31, 2007 at 00:32 UTC. Optics: LX200 GPS, f/6.3, 2560 mm focal length. Camera: Canon 300D, ISO200, 120 s.
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Comet 17P/Holmes, a small faint comet, has suddenly burst and is now easily visible to the naked eye. Look for a ghostly glow in the constellation of Perseus towards the northeast just after sunset in any time zone.
The images above show how the comet has grown in just 5 days! The comet is in the bright, fuzzy dot close to the centre of the tail. The tail is unusual and seems round because it is moving away from Earth.
Keep watching the skies. This comet may have a few more tricks and treats for us before the season for spooks is through!
How to find the comet
Illustration of the constellation of Perseus |
Comet 17P/Holmes (circled in red) as seen with the naked eye near the CSA Observatory. |
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