[Atmob-discuss] Comet Holmes

[John Sheff]

Wow! The comet is spectacular even from here in the city - with an
almost-Full Moon! When I first saw it I thought my binoculars were out of
focus; I checked nearby stars and they were all crisp points. Then it dawned
on me that this particular blob wasn't going to get any crisper. To me it
seemed somewhat dimmer than Alpha Persei, but  brighter than any other
surrounding stars within 10 degrees or so. In my scope it seemed like a
faint, perfectly-circular fuzz ball  with a well-defined, opaque-looking
central condensation.  Both sections seemed yellow-white but with a definite
tint of green. I didn't make any exact estimate of angular size, but when I
looked at the Moon afterwards, I recalled the comet seeming larger than the
crater Grimaldi on the W limb, but not nearly as large as Mare Crisium on
the other side. Get out and enjoy!

 

Congrats Red Sox! 

 

 

John Sheff

Cambridge, MA

 

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