Zero to hero: Comet brightens 400,000 times overnight.

[Moonliner]

Comet 17P/Holmes has overnight bloomed into a 3rd magnitude naked eye comet.


Comet 17P/Holmes has brightened incredibly, from magnitude 17 to magnitude 3 literally overnight. That’s a brightening of a factor of 400,000!

It’s incredible, and it appears to be legit (see also here). The comet is in the constellation Perseus



Click here (http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/10/24/breaking-news-sudden-naked-eye-comet/)for all the details on where to see it.

[flippyshark]

Does this mean it's headed our way?!? :eek:

[Alex]

No, comet brightness has little to do with its path in relation to us.

We're currently closer to the sun than to this comet and moving apart. You can see the orbital path here (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=17P;orb=1). As you can see it never even comes inside the orbit of Mars.

What likely has happened (as the Bad Astronomy post says) is that a piece of the comet broke off exposing new ice which is brighter and is ablating. The comet is pretty far from the sun but it was also recently at perihelion so at its warmest, creating new stresses.

I'm sure the answer provided no tonights Coast to Coast will be either a spaceship starting its drive to leave the solar system or an alien craft of some sort shedding its rocky camouflage.

[scaeagles]

Great....thanks for spoiling the show for me tonight.

[cirquelover]

Alex, your brain capacity amazes me! Is there anything you don't know about?!

[RStar]

No, comet brightness has little to do with its path in relation to us.

That is, of course, untill it enters our atmosphere.

[Kevy Baby]

Alex, your brain capacity amazes me! Is there anything you don't know about?!The joy of emoticons.

[cirquelover]

I tried to mojo you Kevy but it says I have to spread the love around!! I almost spit my lunch onto the monitor!! Thanks!