Over the past week, Comet Holmes is lighting the northern sky with its magnificent light drawing thousands of professional and amateur sky watchers on rooftops. The Comet named after Edwin Holmes, who discovered it in 1892, was visible to the astronomers only through the telescope until 23 October. Since then it had suddenly exploded and expanded making it visible also to naked eye.
Comet Holmes is exploding and its coma has grown to become larger than Jupiter. The coma is made of dust and gas and is illuminated by the sun that makes it bright in the night sky. Unlike most other comets, Comet Holmes lacks a tail. Scientists speculate that the comet exploded owing to the presence of sinkholes in its nucleus giving it a honey-comb-like structure. The collapse exposed the comet ice to the sun transforming the ice into gas.
For those interested to catch a glimpse of this celestial spectacle, Comet Holmes can be seen in the northern sky in the constellation Perseus. The show is expected to last for weeks if not for months.
Source & Image: CNN
