Obscure Comet Brightens Suddenly

Originally posted by apc
Found it tonight and I was surprised. The great big blur was unmistakable. But even with my strongest lense with the cloud filling the entire view I couldn't make out the nucleus.

You are luckier than I am, we have had nothing but clouds and rain for the past week.

As another side note you know your astronomy book is out of date if it talks about the Andromeda Nebula...

Yes, I would venture a guess that it is about 70 years out of date.

The comet is just about to cross over the star Mirfak maybe tonight for those of you are able to see it, unlike myself.

Here is a new article on spaceweather.com.

Use this link, after 11/19/2007.

see the latest photographs of comet holmes "live"

Originally posted by NGC2736
No "end of the world" from this.

Well that must be a disappointment for many, but hey... THAT event is not scheduled until 2012

I just LOVE the way NASA phrases things these days

BEWARE THE JELLYFISH:

Comet 17P/Holmes is swallowing a star!

Readers liken the view through a backyard telescope to a giant space-faring jellyfish gobbling a phosphorescent treat. Although Comet Holmes is now fading to the limits of naked-eye visibility, the star-comet duo is still easy to find in the northern sky after sunset: sky map. Point your telescope and enjoy the meal.

Originally posted by zorgon
I just LOVE the way NASA phrases things these days

I didn't think spaceweather.com was connected to NASA, but yes the author Dr. Tony Phillips is a member of the science@nasa team.

science.nasa.gov...

And who else do we know around here that also likes to sensationalize everything? Hmm..?

Originally posted by zorgon
I just LOVE the way NASA phrases things these days

Personally, I think it's refreshing to know that scientists associated with NASA actually have a sense of humor, just like many (but not all) of the rest of us humans.

Edit: Typos

[edit on 11/19/2007 by Soylent Green Is People]

Where lives a heart so dead and mind so numb, that it could spend time in the company of the heavens and not speak with lilted tone amid currents of passion? Has a man been born that can still the thrill these wonders cause? If so, I care not to meet such a wretch.

What is the significance of the comet passing in front of Mirfak anyway? Besides arbitrary that is.

I'd imagine the spectral data would be useful. That's the best I can come up with though.

reply to post by apc

I doubt there is any scientific reason to get excited about the comet transitioning Mirfak, but it may make for some nice photographs. Someone started a thread about the astrological significance of it, and pointed out that it will also transition the star Algol in Jan. 2008 which is supposed to mean something. I didn't read the whole thread, just the OP.

Warning - Comet Holmes transition with malefic star Algol.

The only thing I thought was useful was the article that showed the future path of the comet.

www.skyandtelescope.com...

Over the past five days I obtained footage of Comet Holmes which was filmed by John Lenard Walson. The first video shows the comet close up. We noticed a dark flash from its centre and decided to analyse the footage a bit more. I inverted the footage and changed some of the gamma/brightness and contrast settings and this was the result: (this video also contains an object at the end but has no relation(as far as I am aware of) to the comet.
Comet Holmes Colour Analysis and Object (not related)


Then we did another film and noticed a dark object which look like it is underneath the comet. Also we doscovered some strange faint structure behind the comet, this led us to believe that the "comet" is much larger than we have been led to believe. The dark object looks like a planet but could also be something else:
Comet Holmes - Would the REAL Comet Holmes please stand up!


Comet Holmes Is Not Alone
Yesterday I was given this footage, the dark object has suddenly become as bright as Holmes. THIS VIDEO CLEARLY SHOWS TWO OBJECTS.:


Gridkeeper

[edit on 29-11-2007 by Gridkeeper]

That last clip is great - is anyone able to verify it's authenticity before I start digging my bunker?

reply to post by Gridkeeper


Is there any more information concerning the video or the person who shot it?

An interesting video, but a You Tube video doesn't prove much. Still, a good find, and very thought provoking.

reply to post by NGC2736


It was filmed by John Lenard Walson with an 8" telescope. John gave me the footage and I edited it to make the films. So far we have made over 70 films together.

Gridkeepr.

Comet Holmes did just pass exceptionally close to the star alpha Persei (Merfak)

See the map here.

As for the video, I've been following the comet very regularly from my own observatory, examining it with high power in most cases and I have observed nothing strange...

[edit on 29-11-2007 by timelike]

I wasn't able to discern the "structure" in the second video but I saw the dark spot in the first and obviously the second object in the third.

On the first, were these shot with a digital camcorder? Could this just be overloading the image sensor? These videos show the comet far brighter than I've seen with my little 5incher.

Would the second object just be a fragment either breaking away or previously behind unseen?

I know there's speculation abound that this is something other than a comet. However I think the fact that it is following an orbit around the Sun limits the possibilities, doesn't it?

reply to post by Gridkeeper

Gridkeeper, your videos are interesting and I like the music in the third one, but why is it that I have not seen anyone else with a photograph of the second object?

It would be helpful if you would also provide additional info with the videos like the date, location, model of camera, and length of exposure. Things like that. That would go along way in adding credibility to them.

reply to post by Gridkeeper
Would your friend consider coming here to ATS and explaining what he saw, and make the data available? It would certainly get a wider audience than the You Tube crowd, not to mention a viewing by some people with more intelligent questions than those he could get in feedback off of You Tube.

And unlike many forums, even here on ATS, there isn't often a lot of nastiness displayed, so he shouldn't have to worry about that. I would love to hear his own personal take on this, and see the knowledgeable people here get to look at his data.

Alien Express

Originally posted by apc
I know there's speculation abound that this is something other than a comet. However I think the fact that it is following an orbit around the Sun limits the possibilities, doesn't it?

Well, it could have been manouevred into solar orbit (possibly one calculated to simulate the orbit of a comet) back in 1883 or whenever it was the good Rev. Holmes first spotted it. The flares seen on that occasion may have been from thrusters firing to make the final orbital adjustments.

And this time round? Maybe it's leaving us. Has anyone checked to see whether it's still following its known orbital path?

You know what would make me wet myself laughing? An alien spacecraft that entered the solar system, hung about for a century or so in pursuit of ends evidently unconnected with Earth and its self-regarding inhabitants, and finally left without so much as acknowleding their existence.

Has anyone checked to see whether it's still following its known orbital path?

Yes, it is still following its known orbital path. That's because it is a comet. It is not an alien spacecraft on some covert hundred year mission to explore the Solar System. It is not the second coming of the Messiah. It is a normal object in a normal orbit around the Sun. There is nothing strange about it. It just happens to be doing something that few other comets have been seen to do. Comets break apart and fragment on a frequent basis. It's just that 17P/Holmes appears to do this on a spectacular scale.

I haven't looked at these YouTube videos yet (simply because I am writing this on a PC that uses a slow ISDN connection), but I will check them out tonight.


[edit on 30-11-2007 by Mogget]

Oh don't be boring! Surely you can use your imagination. I had high hopes for an Earth impact myself



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[edit: removed unnecessary quote of entire previous post]
Quoting - Please review this link

[edit on 30-11-2007 by 12m8keall2c]