Comet Holmes becomes "suddenly visible"

[Youngfox]

(edit)
I just noticed that a comprehensive article about this is already up on the signs page.
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/142415-Sudden-Naked-Eye-Comet-Shocks-the-Astronomy-World
I should have known the SOTT folks would be all over this.

_http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071025-comet-holmes.html

Why Comet Holmes has undergone such an explosive outburst is not understood.
What is amazing is that it made its closest approach to the sun last May, but came no closer than 191 million miles (307 million kilometers) to the sun.
The comet is now moving away from the sun and currently is quite far out from Earth at a distance of 151 million miles (243 million kilometers). Not exactly a recipe for the typical show-off comet.

_http://www.andrewfazekas.com/index.htm?blogentryid=2416008

"Astronomers worldwide are on the edge of their seats as a very faint comet only visible in large telescopes has suddenly brightened (within minutes) into a naked eye object yesterday. Comet Holmes, first spotted 115 years ago by it's namesake astronomer who discovered it, can now be seen in the evening skies everywhere - even within light polluted cities!! And it's anyone's guess what will happen next.
(snip)
A handy guidepost for finding the comet is the bright constellation Cassiopeia high in the northeast after sunset.
The giant 'W shaped' group of stars lies just above the constellation Perseus. Draw an imaginary line from two of the stars in Cassiopeia down towards the horizon and you will hit the comet.
Using bincoulars will help see the fuzzy ball shape of Holmes - which is just left of the brighter stars of Perseus."

 

[mkrnhr]

a citation from the _spaceweather.com site (today October 25) Exploding comet

The gaseous cloud surrounding the comet's core has more than doubled in radius during the past 24 hours.

with astounishing pictures taken by amateur astronomers and photographers wolrdwide.

visible to the naked eye in the perseus constellation.

see also
_http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025155840.htm

Comet 17P Holmes is in super-outburst! It brightened by a factor of one million in less than 24 hours. This comet currently appears as a fuzzy, yellowish star-like object in the constellation Perseus and is well-placed for northern hemisphere observers.

But not explanations until now apparently

Any astrological implications anyone?

 

[Al Today]

_http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/holmes/02dec07/George-Varros-holmes_seq_3_run_c_c100_c368_1196527784.jpg

Methinks I may be losing grip. I was looking at some pictures of the Comet Holmes and I notice something odd. I dunno if I can explain myself or not, but I will try. Y’all know that the comet appears as a huge ball of light, a huge ball of light. Well, let’s say that light, causes a lighted background. So any dark object in front of that lit background, closer to us than the comet, may be visible. I think I see dark objects in front of that lit background. If it weren’t for the lighted background, those little black balls would not be seen, because the background would be black, and those round objects are also black. This is tough to visualize, go to the link above and tell me it is just dirt specs on a camera lens. This is very curious to me

 

[Josi]

I see what you mean. I saw three black spots with the back lighting of the comet.

 

[Charles]

Yup, I also see those three black specks.

Now if you consider all those stars, you see that they show up as small stripes. This says something about the exposure time of the photograph. I imagined a fixed direction during the exposure and because of the earths rotation the stars show up as stripes. At first I thought that this proves that the three specks must be some technical failure because they do not show up as short stripes. It could be some failure of the lenses (dust?) or of the CCD array (if this is used) or of the digital storage.

But wait a minute. The centre of the comet neither shows up as a short stripe. This demonstrates that the telescope did not have a fixed position and must have followed the direction of the comets centre during exposure, thereby leaving a short stripe for where the stars were during this exposure.

So if those three specks are something out there, they must move through space in the same direction and with the same speed as the comets centre. This seems highly improbable considering the distance between the specks. Therefore, I tend to conclude that it is some kind of technical defect.

 

[Al Today]

I dunno if we'll ever know what those specks on that picture are. But I wonder about when that comet swings back by in what, about 5-7 years if my fading memory recollects. I don't have time right now to dig up the exact quote, but the C's said that a swarm will first be noticed as one object. Interestingly amusing is when pieces and parts converge together to form coherent pictures, and I go, hmmm, that figures. Being aware of open possibilities is I think a doorway to knowledge, yes? No gloom & doom intended, just events to be observed.

 

[Al Today]

In looking up a quote, maybe I was mistaken within my previous post observations. Then again, I don't think I am to use verbatim of what was written. Perhaps we are supposed to think, observe and be open, so who knows the real story? Perhaps I was rash into projecting possiblilities, maybe not. I sure don't wannabe one of those gloom & doom sooth sayers, just be prepared so as not to be so very suprised and blind sided.

A: Cometary showers.
Q: (L) Where are these cometary showers from?
A: Clusters in own orbit.
Q: (L) Where is the orbit of these clusters? Is it the Oort cloud?
A: No.
Q: (L) Where is the orbit of clusters of comets located?
A: More specific.
Q: (L) A specific orbit containing clusters of comets?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Does this cluster of comets orbit around the sun?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Is the orbit perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic?
A: Yes and no.
Q: (L) Does this cluster come into the plane of the ecliptic and cause
havoc in the solar system?
A: Exactly.
Q: (L) How often does this cluster of comets come into the plane of
the ecliptic?
A: 3600 years.
Q: (L) Is this cluster of comets the remains of a planet?
A: No.
Q: (L) Is the cluster of fragments in between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter the remains of a planet?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) What was that planet known as?
A: Kantek.
Q: (L) When did that planet break apart into the asteroid belt.
A: 79 thousand years ago approximately.
Q: (L) What body were the Sumerians talking about when they
described the Planet of the crossing or Nibiru?
A: Comets.
Q: (L) This body of comets?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Does this cluster of comets appear to be a single body?
A: Yes.
940930
Q: (L) Is this the same object that is rumored to be on its way here at
the present time?
A: Yes.

edited to include the clue below:

Q: (A) We have been told that it will look like one solid object at
first.
A: Yes, but not necessarily only one grouping. Will show up first in
the region of the Magellanic Clouds.

 

[Akopirnas]

Q: (A) Taking into account the decreasing of the period, I came to the conclusion from all the data, that the coming visit of the comet cluster will be, most probably in the middle of 2009, with possible plus or minus 6 months. So, it will come 2009. Are these calculations correct?
A: You are doing well.
Q: (A) Is the comet cluster going to come in 2009?
A: We refrain here...

Session 000909

September 09, 2000