Comet Holmes bows out
December 6th 2007 08:56
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Scientists employed one of the largest CCD cameras to image Comet 17P/Holmes as it fades from view.
Comet 17P/Holmes, which graced our skys witnessed a sudden outburst that made it visible to the unaided eye, now is fading from sight. However, before it returns to the obscurity from which it came. (Comet Holmes was discovered in 1892) astronomers at the MMT Observatory take one final look before it fades back into obscurity.
In late October, Holmes brightened by a factor of about one million times when it ejected a vast cloud of dust and gas. That cloud expanded during its journey around the Sun and now spans more than 870,000 miles, making it larger than the Sun (which is 865,000 miles in diameter).
On November 4, scientists at the Smithsonian institute snapped this photo of Comet Holmes using an instrument called Megacam, which is one of the largest CCD cameras in existence. Megacam holds 36 nine-megapixel CCD chips, for a total of more than 300 megapixels.
Separate exposures through color filters were combined to make this final, full-color image. Individual stars appear as a line of colored dots because the photos were centered on the comet, which moved slightly across the sky.
Currently, Comet Holmes has a total brightness of 3rd magnitude; however despite its large size in the sky makes it difficult to see without binoculars or a telescope. However, when it was discovered in 1892 it underwent a second bright outburst five months after the first. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere you may catch one last glimpse look for a dull blurry circular light patch around 9:30 look towards the North East part of the sky. If you happen to live where there the light pollution is low you may just get the chance to see it.
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