Comet Holmes

So have you seen Comet Holmes yet? This comet has an amazing story (see Sky and Telescope for details). It was discovered in 1892 and comes around every 6.88 years, but for some reason on this pass it decided to show off. Last week, practically overnight, it increased in brightness from mag 17 to about mag 3. I found it with my naked eyes in the backyard tonight (it was dark so the neighbors weren't offended) and then pulled out the trusty Astroscan 2001 for a closer look. Neat!



Predictions are that it will remain this bright for some time. It is past Jupiter's orbit going away from the sun so if it has a tail we can't see it from here, but it is still impressive, a nice addition to the constellation Perseus.