Rare event: Comet visible to naked eye

[Marilyn. 340]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A comet that has unexpectedly brightened in the past couple of weeks and now is visible to the naked eye is attracting professional and amateur interest.

Paul Lewis, director of astronomy outreach at the University of Tennessee, is drawing students to the roof of Nielsen Physics Building for special viewings of Comet 17P/Holmes.

The comet is exploding and its coma, a cloud of gas and dust illuminated by the sun, has grown to be bigger than the planet Jupiter. The comet lacks the tail usually associated with such celestial bodies but can be seen in the northern sky, in the constellation Perseus, as a fuzzy spot of light about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper.

"This is truly a celestial surprise," Lewis said. "Absolutely amazing."

Until Oct. 23, the comet had been visible to modern astronomers only with a telescope, but that night it suddenly erupted and expanded.

A similar burst in 1892 led to the comet's discovery by Edwin Holmes.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event to witness, along the lines of when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smashed into Jupiter back in 1994," Lewis said.

Scientists speculate the comet has exploded because there are sinkholes in its nucleus, giving it a honeycomb-like structure. The collapse exposed comet ice to the sun, which transformed the ice into gas.

"What comets do when they are near the sun is very unpredictable," Lewis said. "We expect to see a coma cloud and a tail, but this is more like an explosion, and we are seeing the bubble of gas and dust as it expands away from the center of the blast."

Experts aren't sure how long the comet's show will last, but estimate it could be weeks — if not months. Using a telescope or binoculars help bring the comet's details into view, they said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071103/ap_on_sc/brighter_comet

[JenT 0]

Go Vols! That's my alma mater.

[Peikko 1,575]

Wow, cool! Must look out for that.

[Jasman0717 9]

Cool I was going to get Claudeth a really nice telescope for Christmas but she opted for a laptop so guess we will just be looking at it through the internet.

[Nessa 23]

Cool I was going to get Claudeth a really nice telescope for Christmas but she opted for a laptop so guess we will just be looking at it through the internet.

I'd take the telescope without thinking twice

[MissStacey 1]

My husband was telling me about that last night. I was too sleepy to get up and go outside to see if I could see anything- but I will make an effort tonight.

[Ban Hammer 14,672]

You can find Comet Holmes by using the "W" of Cassiopeia as your guide [map]. The five stars in a conspicuous zigzag pattern are high in the northeast sky during the mid-evening hours.

Draw an imaginary line from the star Gamma Cass down to Delta Cass (known also as Ruchbah). Extend the line downward about five times the distance between these two stars and you'll come very close to where Comet Holmes is. The comet itself forms a triangle with Alpha Persei (known also as "Mirfak") and Delta Persei.

If you have binoculars, you'll know the comet immediately when you see it: a small, albeit distinct, circular lemon-yellow cloud of light. A small telescope will help bring out the fuzzy details.

Edited November 6, 2007 by charlesandnessa

[almaty 19]

cool..

[Amby 490]

we think we saw it last night but the trees were kinda in the way. going to the fam's cabins this weekend and going to look for it there. hope it's clear out this weekend

[eric&gen 0]

I am giving my wife a huge telescope for christmas too lol.

[Sinergy 3]

You can find Comet Holmes by using the "W" of Cassiopeia as your guide [map]. The five stars in a conspicuous zigzag pattern are high in the northeast sky during the mid-evening hours.

Draw an imaginary line from the star Gamma Cass down to Delta Cass (known also as Ruchbah). Extend the line downward about five times the distance between these two stars and you'll come very close to where Comet Holmes is. The comet itself forms a triangle with Alpha Persei (known also as "Mirfak") and Delta Persei.

If you have binoculars, you'll know the comet immediately when you see it: a small, albeit distinct, circular lemon-yellow cloud of light. A small telescope will help bring out the fuzzy details.

ok point that out in english please

[peejay 327]

I remember Hale Bopp Comet back in 1997. It hung around for a while and I got to see it well several times. I first saw it while working about 100 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico on an oil production platform working the night shift from 6 PM to 6 AM. I didn't know what it was until someone told me. My first thought was ####### is that?

[Ladylethal 12]

I remember seeing comet Halley in 1986, I clearly remember as a little kid standing in my backyard with my grandma and wondering if the next time it went by I'd be able to see it again with granny (who passed away in 1993) . Of course then I didn't know Halley's cycle is 75 years.