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> Comet 17P/Holmes October 29 2007

Comet 17P/Holmes October 29 2007

author: J.Lodriguss/Novapix

reference: a-com21-02018

Image Size 300 DPI: 25 * 17 cm

The faint outer coma of Comet 17P/Homes is seen here in a composite exposures on 29 October 2007. Holmes is currently located in the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and it moving away from the Earth since it's closest approach to the Sun at 191 million miles in May of 2007. At its closest approach to the Sun, it was still outside of the orbit of Mars. It is currently about 151 million miles from the Earth. The comet was discovered more than 100 years ago in 1892 by Edwin Holmes in London, England when it was probably undergoing a previous outburst when it became visible to the unaided eye at 4th magnitude.The reason for the outburst is unknown, but it is speculated that an internal chamber in the porous comet may have collapsed, exposing a large area of fresh ice to sunlight, causing a giant sublimation event that created the cloud around the nucleus that we see by reflected sunlight.

Keywords for this photo:

17P/HOLMES - 2007 - ASTRONOMY - COMET - HOLMES - PERSEUS - STAR -