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On October 23 Comet Holmes increased a million times in brightness within a few hours. Discovered in the 1800's, this relatively obscure comet has an orbital period of 6.9 years and travels around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It made its closest approach to the sun in May 2007 and has been heading away from the sun and earth in recent months. Fortuneate for earth dwellers, the expanstion of the comet occured relatively close to the earth.
Why did Comet Holmes suddenly brighten? There is a lot of speculation. One theory is that something hit the comet, causing it to vent gases locked in its interior core. Another theory is that internal collapse allowed venting of gases. Stay tuned to see if one theory becomes widely accepted.
On November 1, 2007, astrophotographer Alan Dyer took this incredible photo of Comet Holmes from here in southern Alberta, Canada. He used a 105mm apochromatic refractor at f/5 with a Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Field is about 2.5 x 1.5 degrees. Alan Dyer is co-author of BackYard Astronomer's Guide and director of the Telus World of Science (formerly the planetarium) in Calgary.
Used by permission of Alan Dyer Read more news from the Hubble site - Hubble Site
The following photo was taken on November 3 by Dalton Wilson of Didsbury Alberta.
Comet Holmes - Saturday, November 3, 2007 Photo by Dalton Wilson - Sky-Watcher 100 ED PRO on Canon Rebel XTi Photo taken at All-Star Telescope Observer Night
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