28 September 2007

Observing Location	Hos
Observational Period	2030-2045 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 50°F Wind Gentle Breeze Humidity Moderate Feels Like Cool It looks clear out but I think there is cloud up there that I am not seeing. Transparency Fair Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target 17P/Holmes Constellation Per Category Comet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20071028.2030 EDT Comments I think I saw the comet tonight but am not absolutely certain which point of light it was. I saw a bright star low in the sky that I believe was Capella although I never found the Kids. I found α, β, and ρ Per. There was a bright star between α Per and α Aur that I suspect was 17P/Holmes, but it seemed to far away from α Per. Even with the binodular I could not see the Fishhook or the Alpha Perseus Association. There was a photo in Space Weather today showing the relative size of Jupiter and 17P/Holmes if they were at the same distance from Earth and the comet would be the bigger of the two taking into account the luminous gas/water/dust around the core. SpaceWeather.com graphic Object Distance from Earth 17p/Holmes 1.63 AU Jupiter 5.97 AU It is reported that people are claiming to have seen (from a dark sky location) the cloud naked-eye so I am anxious to see what I can see from here. 17P/Holmes will stay in Per for a while longer then move into Aur and finally into Gem before it is on the horizon in late July. But there is no telling how long it will remain this bright. It is reported to have brightened like this back in 1892(?) which is what lead to its discovery. There is no mention in the literature I have read of it ever having exhibited a tail. 28Oct07-8Apr08 Per 9Apr08-16Jun08 Aur 17Jun08-23Jul08 Gem On the ride home on the #7 train through Queens the air over the City was crystal clear and the illuminated buildings look crisp and beautiful. When I got home I could only see three stars: Fomalhout, Aldeberan and ?, and there were all low in the sky. The Moon looked nice, but I was tired from two days of intense armature radio work in a contest so without the comet being visible I decided to stay home and finish off the book I was reading. Tonight it is supposed to be the coldest night of the season.