Comet Holmes
by Damian Peach
Title
Comet Holmes
Artist
Damian Peach
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Comet Holmes (17P/Holmes). Optical image of the nucleus and diffuse coma of Comet Holmes. Comets are bodies of ice and dust that enter the inner solar system from the outer solar system. As they approach the Sun, the heat boils the ice, producing a coma around the nucleus, and a tail behind it. This periodic comet, discovered in 1892, returns to the solar system roughly every 7 years. It is usually a faint object, but during its return to the solar system in late 2007 it underwent an outburst of activity causing it to brighten from 17th to 3rd magnitude in just a few days, making it visible to the naked eye. This image was obtained in mid-December 2007.
Uploaded
July 21st, 2016
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Comet Holmes. Click here to post the first comment.