Comet Holmes

Subject: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:33 am

I don't know if anybody has been keeping up with Comet Holmes, but this thing is bizarre.

This is from SpaceWeather.com:

Quote :: GIANT COMET: Comet 17P/Holmes has been relentlessly expanding since its explosion on Oct 23rd and now it spans an angle in the sky almost half as wide as the full Moon.

Actually, the comet is even bigger than it looks. While the Moon is a mere 240 thousand miles away, Comet Holmes is 150 million miles from Earth. The comet's physical diameter is thus seven times wider than the planet Jupiter--and it is still expanding.

Now take a look at this photo somebody posted of it on SpaceWeather:

Comet Holmes Alan-f10

It is smiling at us. I wonder what it finds so amusing? This thing has the potential to be an earth altering event for us, and it looks so sweet!

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:18 am

The comet is saying: "Greetings! I bring you good tidings!" It is what I sense anyways!

Always,
LittleFire

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:20 am

I believe you may be right LittleFire. It just looks so innocent! However, the scientists/astronomers have never ever seen anything like this before.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:46 am

: D

Maybe it's a maniac smile.

"Hey! I'm going to kill you all soon! WOO!"

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:14 am

Liam you could be right too! I have seen the most innocuous looking people do the most terrible things. gif19

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:37 am

Okay this thing (comet?) is something to really keep an eye on!

Hmmm - "When the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance in the heavens, the Fifth World will emerge".

We are probably going to be able to see this thing with the naked eye before it is all over!

Quote :: Dramatic Comet Outburst Could Last Weeks
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 26 October 2007
02:09 pm ET

A comet that suddenly brightened earlier this week has astronomers around the globe fascinated. And the show could go on for some time.

Comet Holmes, discovered in 1892, had in recent years been visible only through telescopes until a dramatic outburst made it visible to the naked eye. In fewer than 24 hours, it brightened by a factor of nearly 400,000.

It has now brightened by a factor of a million times what it was before the outburst, a change "absolutely unprecedented in the annals of cometary astronomy ," said Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching Columnist.

The comet is now rivaling some of the brighter stars in the sky.

Anyone with a map should be able to spot it now.

But Comet Holmes lacks a tail, so it's more like a fuzzy, yellow star, observers report. The view is improved with a small telescope.

"This is a terrific outburst," said Brian Marsden, director emeritus of the Minor Planet Center, which tracks known comets and asteroids. "And since it doesn't have a tail right now, some observers have confused it with a nova. We've had at least two reports of a new star."

The comet could fade in a matter of days or weeks, according to a statement from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Comet expert John Bortle expects the comet to continue as a naked-eye object for the next few weeks as it dims gradually. Bortle said the coma, or fuzzy head of the comet, could expand as weeks go by. The coma could reach the apparent size of the moon in the sky, he said.

The comet is located among the stars of the constellation Perseus, which is about halfway up in the northeast sky in the evening. Perseus is almost directly overhead by around 2 a.m. local daylight time and remains well up in the northwest at dawn.

"The comet was plainly visible, disturbing the normal pattern of stars that make up Perseus," Rao said after observiing it last night.

The comet orbits the Sun once every seven years at a distance of about 200 million miles (compared to Earth's 93-million-mile orbit). It was re-observed in 1899 and 1906 before being lost for nearly six decades. Based on a prediction by Marsden, the comet was found again in 1964.

"Since then, it's been behaving well—until now," Marsden said.

Astronomers don't know why the outburst occurred.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071026-comet-holmes-update.html

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:54 pm

There's one problem...

It's not blue.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:56 pm

Wait until it brightens!

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:18 pm

Ah right

PS I'm in chat

What does it mean by 5th Planet though? The 5th planet in the Solar System is Jupiter.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:26 pm

Oooh.

That looks blue.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:36 pm

Liam when the Hopi Indians predicted that when blue Kachina (?) appears visible in the sky the fifth "world" would begin to emerge. This correlates to new planets, new seeds, and an all new environment. Before this can happen we have a time of destruction and cleansing to go through. I believe that is why we are all experiencing negative energy right now. We are all going through the cleansing process.

This comet surely comes close to the prophecy of the blue Kachina. It is not behaving as an ordinary comet. It is continually brightening, and just generally exhibiting explosive signs never before seen. It is incredible to say the least. It is certainly some kind of sign or warning for us, and for those able to understand the significance of this.

I am fascinated by this.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:39 pm

Indeed it is differant.

It doesn't have a tail right?

PS:I'm in chat!

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:40 pm

No Liam it does not have a tail. A very curious event here.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:35 am

Liam I just read this very interesting statement from a science web site:

"when a star is moving away it will give of colors to the red spectrum and when it is moving towards us it will give of colors to the blue spectrum"

The Blue Kachina?

Guest

Comet draws scientific, amateur interest Sat Nov 3, 12:57 AM ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A comet that has unexpectedly brightened in the past couple of weeks and now is visible to the naked eye is attracting professional and amateur interest.

Paul Lewis, director of astronomy outreach at the University of Tennessee, is drawing students to the roof of Nielsen Physics Building for special viewings of Comet 17P/Holmes.

The comet is exploding and its coma, a cloud of gas and dust illuminated by the sun, has grown to be bigger than the planet Jupiter. The comet lacks the tail usually associated with such celestial bodies but can be seen in the northern sky, in the constellation Perseus, as a fuzzy spot of light about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper.

"This is truly a celestial surprise," Lewis said. "Absolutely amazing."

Until Oct. 23, the comet had been visible to modern astronomers only with a telescope, but that night it suddenly erupted and expanded.

A similar burst in 1892 led to the comet's discovery by Edwin Holmes.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event to witness, along the lines of when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smashed into Jupiter back in 1994," Lewis said.

Scientists speculate the comet has exploded because there are sinkholes in its nucleus, giving it a honeycomb-like structure. The collapse exposed comet ice to the sun, which transformed the ice into gas.

"What comets do when they are near the sun is very unpredictable," Lewis said. "We expect to see a coma cloud and a tail, but this is more like an explosion, and we are seeing the bubble of gas and dust as it expands away from the center of the blast."

Experts aren't sure how long the comet's show will last, but estimate it could be weeks — if not months. Using a telescope or binoculars help bring the comet's details into view, they said.

Guest

Comet Holmes Vicent-Peris-and-JosE9-Luis-Lamadri

From Spaceweather.com:

COMET TAIL: Long exposures are starting to reveal the ragged tail of Comet 17P/Holmes. It took Michael Jäger eighteen minutes to record this view through his 8-inch telescope in Stixendorf, Austria:

The tail, which color photos show to be blue, looks like the aftermath of a terrific explosion. Indeed, Comet 17P/Holmes did explode on Oct. 23rd, brightening a million-fold to naked eye visibility. But the appearance of the tail is probably not a consequence of that blast. Why not? It's our point of view. Usually we see comet tails from the side and they make a long graceful arc through space. The tail of Comet Holmes, however, points almost directly away from Earth. Instead of seeing it from the side, we're seeing it end-on, resulting in its peculiar frayed appearance.

Everything about Comet Holmes seems a little peculiar--including the fact that anyone can see it. It's an "urban comet" visible to the naked eye among city lights as well as from the darker countryside. After sunset, look north for an expanding fuzzball in the constellation Perseus: sky map. The comet is about as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper and makes a fine target for both binoculars and backyard telescopes.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:13 am

Quote :: The tail, which color photos show to be blue

"Look to the heavens for a sign. All will be able to see it, but many will not take notice."

I have always heard this. I am convinced beyond a doubt that this is a miraculous event unfolding before our very eyes. I think there is more to come with this comet or whatever it is.

Liam there you go! It is now blue! Take heed.

Still no coverage of this in the main stream media. I guess they don't want us to panic. LOL

I am fascinated by this. I can't stop reading about it.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:21 am

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:51 am

I got a look at comet holmes...I think it was that, I wasn't too sure if it was the the moon behind the clouds. Anwyay It's a fuzzy yellow colour...and about the size of the moon (considering it's some 120 Million Miles way)

Guest

It's HUGE! I am fascinated by it as well, Spring.....it really is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the cloud of gases surrounding it is bigger than the planet jupiter! Can you imagine? And it just seems to have come out of nowhere! AND it's blue. Amazing.

Comet Holmes Holmes01

Guest

And just FYI, the name "Holmes" means:

holly
islands
in the river

I was just curious about the name. gif09

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:47 pm

BTM it is beautiful, amazing, and terrifying all at once. I am totally taken aback by this. It is a sign. I know it, I feel it, and I do believe there is more to come from this.

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:46 pm

It now has BLUE tails! This is exciting.

Comet Holmes Jack-n10

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:12 pm

This one was taken in Spain. This thing is really beautiful.

Blue, Blue, Blue Liam!

Comet Holmes Vicent10

Subject: Re: Comet Holmes Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:16 am

Take a look at this picture and tell me if I am looking at this correctly. It appears this comet, along with its gases and corona, is the largest thing in our solar system right now. Look at the size compared even to the sun. gif27