Thursday, November 29, 2007

Comet Holmes is Fading Away

Universe Today reports Comet Holmes is Fading Away I looked over Thanksgiving but it was very dim. We couldn't make it out with the naked eye but in binoculars you could sorta kinda make it out. I thought it was due to the full moon, but apparently not. "Although it's still a 3rd magnitude object, and should be visible with the unaided eye, it's so large in the sky that it's actually quite faint now."

But it might get interesting again. "Astronomers are hoping that it'll repeat history. During its last outburst back in 1892, the comet underwent a second bright flareup five months after the first one. So, if history is any judge, we might just see the comet brighten again, and we'll all get another chance to see it before it's gone for good."

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