Comet Holmes' display captivates stargazers
By Julie Steenhuysen
Nov 15, 2007

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The normally sedate Comet Holmes made a bright splash in the sky about two weeks ago, unexpectedly becoming a million times brighter than normal overnight and causing a stir among astronomers.

The comet and its expanding ball of dust have become the biggest object in the solar system, with a diameter appearing even bigger than the sun, according to astronomers at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. story and Hubble photo

(The Syracuse Astronomical Society's observatory director Raymond Dague has been following Comet Holmes since last last month when it suddenly brightened to naked-eye visibility even from within light polluted cities such as Syracuse, New York. Tonight the comet is easily seen with binoculars immediately adjacent to the bright star Alpha Persei (also known as Mirfak) high in the northeast a couple of hours after sunset. In 10x50 binoculars the object is almost as large as a full moon, albeit not nearly as bright. Sky chart here. Go out tonight and see if you can find it! -PD)