Huge comet outburst reported, 17P/Holmes Options

[Elias]

I didnt know in which category of the forum this should be reported:

http://www.fototime.com/%7BE39A64F6-CE74-4...%7D/picture.JPG
http://perso.orange.fr/fkometes/images/com...422-9x5sz05.JPG

Comet 17p/Holmes from 15 mag to 3!!

Already visible to naked eye!

[nprev]

Hey, that's neat, Ed; thank you!

Question though: Why isn't there any apparent motion relative to the stars in the field? Is this thing receding almost directly away from our line of sight (since it seems to be getting dimmer)? Not a criticism, it's just interesting...never seen a comet do that before.

[ed_lomeli]

Hey, that's neat, Ed; thank you!

Question though: Why isn't there any apparent motion relative to the stars in the field? Is this thing receding almost directly away from our line of sight (since it seems to be getting dimmer)? Not a criticism, it's just interesting...never seen a comet do that before.

The comet reached perihelion with the Sun back in May so its distance from the Sun has been increasing while Earth will reach its closest approach to the comet (1.62 A.U.) between November 5-7th. Holmes is currently both moving away from Earth and getting closer to Earth, huh? Incidental with the timing of the comet's outburst, if I have it right, the Earth's orbit must be taking us in the same direction as the comet but at a slightly higher relative velocity thus allowing us to try to catch up until next week; after then, the comet's relative velocity will not be offset by Earth's velocity. BTW, that was 110 consecutive frames of raw video @ 2.75 sec/frame.

The dimming, a wild guess, the source of the dusty material may've ended its eruptive phase, but the expansion of the material already ejected would continue, resulting in a shell of debris, which would eventually dissipate.

[alan]

The comet reached perihelion with the Sun back in May so its distance from the Sun has been increasing while Earth will reach its closest approach to the comet (1.62 A.U.) between November 5-7th. Holmes is currently both moving away from Earth and getting closer to Earth, huh?

I haven't taken a look at its orbit but I suspect Holmes can both recede from the sun and be getting closer to Earth if its orbit is bringing it closer to the ecliptic.