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17P/Holmes
This is comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 11/28/07.
It has been nine days since the image below and the comet is still
expanding!
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Date(s)
11/19/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
RGB = 12:12:12 minutes
Optics and Camera
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
SBIG ST-2000XM w/CFW8A
Tru-Balance Filters
Processing Tools
CCDStack
Photoshop CS3
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This is comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 11/19/07.
It continues to expand. The star Mirfak (Alpha Perseus) can be seen shining through the comet on
this night.
This image can also be seen in the 2009 Official Calendar of the Vatican Observatory
for the month of October.
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Date(s)
11/14/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
LRGB = 6:12:12:12 minutes
Optics and Camera
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
SBIG ST-2000XM w/CFW8A
Tru-Balance Filters
Processing Tools
CCDStack
Photoshop CS3
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This is comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 11/14/07.
Astronomers estimate that this expanding ball of dust and gas is now the
largest object in the solar system! The faint tail seen in the image
below has detached from body of the comet a few days ago and has faded from
view. The bright area towards the upper right is glow from the
star Mirfak (Alpha Perseus).
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Date(s)
11/02/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
LRGB = 12:24:24:24 minutes
Optics and Camera
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
SBIG ST-2000XM w/CFW8A
Tru-Balance Filters
Processing Tools
CCDStack
Photoshop CS3
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The image above
shows comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 11/02/07. In addition to the
head, a faint tail can be seen exiting toward the top and right. The comet
continues to grow in size though not quite as much as the comparison images below
would suggest. This image was taken with a different camera setup that
has roughly 1/2 of the field of view as the images below. To suggest an idea of the size of the comet on this
night, four full moons could easily be placed in this image.
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Date(s)
7:58 PM MDT
10/28/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
10 & 30 second exposures combined, ISO800
Optics and Camera
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
Nikon D70s
Processing Tools
Photoshop CS3
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The image above
shows comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 10/28/07. It has grown
significantly in size from the 10/24/07 image below. In addition to
the nucleus, background stars can be see shining though the comet.
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Date(s)
9:34 PM MDT
10/24/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
10 seconds, ISO800
Optics and Camera
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
Nikon D70s
Processing Tools
Photoshop CS3
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The image above
shows comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 10/24/07. At best it can be
described as a bright dot that is somewhat larger than the
surrounding stars.
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Date(s)
8:35 PM MDT
10/24/2007
Mead, Colorado
Exposure Data
30 seconds, ISO800
Optics and Camera
Nikon D70s
18-70mm F3.5-4.5 G
Processing Tools
Photoshop CS3
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The image above
shows the location of comet 17P/Holmes on the evening 10/24/07. During the previous 24 hours the comet had undergone a
brightness change that moved it from the realm of large telescopes to naked
eye visibility. Though the comet is bright, no tail is visible.
This makes it hard to distinguish from the stars in the image above.
However if you mouseover the image, constellation lines marking Perseus will
appear and 17P/Holmes will be circled.
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