Hi All,
Till October 23, 2007 Comet Holmes was fibble small dot of magnitude 17 that is almost 25,000 times fainter than faintest star we can see in clear dark sky with unaided eyes. But on 24th Comet suddenly brightened to 7th magnitude and with in few hours it reached to magnitude 3, almost 400,000 times increase in brightness !!!
Now comet is visible to naked eye like a star in costallation Perseus.
About Comet Holmes...
Comet Holmes was discovered by Amateur astronomer Edwin Holmes in 1892. While he was observing Andromeda Galaxy comet was discoved, and then comet reached to 4th magnitude.
It fainted and again in Jaunary 1893 it brightened 100 fold.
It seems to be the outbursting is the nature of Comet Holmes.
The comet orbits the Sun once in 7 years at a distance of about 200 million miles (compared to Earth’s 93-million-mile orbit). It was observed again in 1899 and 1906But after that comet was not seen for almost 60 years!!! Based on a calculations by Marsden, the comet was recovered in 1964.
No body knows exact reason for these OutBursts !!!
Currently the comet is at magnitude ~2.5 and becomes small fuzzy ball in telescope with bright starlike necleaus. we are not sure how long comet will remain visible....
Here is my sketch of Comet on October 25, 2007
These photographs are taken using mobile camera over my 4" Newtonian telescope. The Quality of photos is very poor but it gives you idea how bright the comet is, to being captured so easily using mobile...
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For those who wish to go out and see comet below is the Map of Sky...
So check out your sky at night....
Wish you clear sky...
Sameer
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