Comet Holmes!

[Pheebs]

As some of you already know, I'm a wee bit of a lover of the night sky (anyone remember joining me flat out on my back searching frantically for shooting stars recently?! )

Last week wee lil Comet Holmes decided to erupt and get muuuuuuch much brighter (rumour has it by a "factor of a million" from the bbc website!) This means us people with no expensive telescope equipment can see it with the nekky eye! YAY!

So, at Mister Fakeysnakeys last night I decided to look out for it and somehow I managed to spot it (without having a clue where it was) in the middle of the sky! Dead chuffed I was!

Keep an eye out for it tonight! I don't know whether people will get as excited as I did (you may think "pah, so what a fuzz in the sky" but but that fuzz is EXPLODING! It's ERUPTING and and bits are flying off it at super dooper speeds!! Like *WHOOSH*GONE! And and ... well I think it's exciting!)

Here's a lil map to help people see it:



(to help people more <--- that way on the map is the plough/big dipper! You should be able to spot Cassiopeia easily - looks like a big big BIG W on it's side )

[Mark]

Doubt I'll see it, as per usual. It's currently cloudy anyway.

[petemc]

I was a bit annoyed with this silly comet. Someone said there's a comet up there, get pics! I saw a photo and it was a dot. I want a comet damn it! If its clear tonight I'll have a browse.

[Garp]

London is too light polluted to see it I bet

[Will]

Yeah London sucks for star gazing! I nearly did astronomy at uni - I used to have a huge passion for the stars, in a way I still do, but it's more of an interest now rather than something I'd dedicate too. I used to have a small telescope in Cyprus that I used to spend all night under - no light pollution clear Mediterranean evening - god I miss those days!

[Pheebs]

It's really bright! Put it like this - I didn't really know what I was looking for (figured it would be a bit hazy) and I managed to pluck it out of the sky within 5minutes and with no idea where it would be!

Have a look and see what you can find!

Pete - it's not quite your streaking-across-the-sky comet unfortunately! It's just like a blurry star.

Still made me excited

Wowee Will - that sounds funno! I reckon I could be tempted to study astronomy given half the chance. Me and my Pa used to take our doggy walking over the heath in the pitch black and when we got far enough out we'd lay flat out in the middle of this huuuge sand pit and he'd point out all the constellations or we'd watch meteor showers! Was awesome!

[Feek]

I wish the sky had lines drawn in it like star maps, it's make it so much easier.

[Pumpkinstew]

Have you been out to the Sidmouth observatory Pheebs?
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/nlo/

The Exeter Uni Physics dept used to run trips out there. It's a favourite haunt of Patrick Moore's too. Apparently we missed him by about 15minutes on one occaision.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Feek

I wish the sky had lines drawn in it like star maps, it's make it so much easier.

True.

Next best thing is a motorised telescope. Unfortunately you have to set them up first which can be quite a challenge in itself, but once done the rest is just point-n-click on a laptop.

[Pheebs]

Has anyone else seen it then!?! Have they!? Have they!?

*excited*