Credit & Copyright: John Pane
Explanation:
How has Comet Holmes changed?
Since
brightening unexpectedly by nearly one
million fold in late October, the last three months have found the
coma of
Comet 17P/Holmes both expanding and fading.
This
spectacular
composite image shows how the coma and tail of Comet
Holmes have changed.
Due to Earth's changing vantage point,
Comet Holmes,
out beyond the
orbit of
Mars, was seen in November nearly head-on, but in recent months
is seen more from the side.
Additionally,
the comet's
motion,
when combined with Earth's changing perspective, has caused the comet to
have shifted relative to the background stars.
The curved path of
Comet Holmes shows it to be undergoing
apparent
retrograde motion as the Earth orbits
quickly in front of it.
The extent of the coma currently makes
Comet Holmes
over five times the physical size of our Sun.
Anecdotal evidence holds that the
comet is hard to see without long photographic exposures,
but on such exposures the comet may still be an
impressive sight.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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