Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1675
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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This outburst is incredible! At first glance, it looks like a bright planetary nebula...except with a beautifully delicate yellow color. I'm still observing and sketching it, but there is a lot to say about it so far. There is a very strong, almost stellar central condensation. Outside of this is another bright condensed shell about 6 arc seconds in diameter, but elongated at a PA of about 210 degrees (southwest). Further outward is another shell that is roughly circular, about 1 arc minute in diameter, with a soft but distinct boundary. Outside of this is a faint, hazy outer halo about 2 arc minutes in diameter that has an broad extension at a PA of about 120 degrees (east-southeast)...perhaps a developing dust tail? There is also a sharper extension that matches up with the direction of the inner condensation at 210 degrees and extending about 4 arc minutes...maybe a developing ion tail?
I'm back out to observe some more. I'll get some sketches and photos posted next.
Be sure to check this out if the weather will allow it. It looks like it will be offering some dynamic changes in appearance from night to night based on descriptions over the last 24 hours.
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Orion SVP 6LT (6" f/8 Newt) || Orion XT8 (8" f/6 Newt) || 15x70 Oberwerk Binoculars
The Belt Of Venus || Astro-Sketch Gallery || Astro-Sketching Resources || Astro-Photo Gallery
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Americal
super member
Reged: 09/14/07
Posts: 120
Loc: Under the L. A. lightdome
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Just went out to look. Even in the smoke filled SoCal skies it's obvious naked eye and in the 7x35's. Now I've got to set up the 11", darn I hate when that happens.
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Tom
It's OK Mom, I can fixit
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4 1/4" f/5 homebuilt Newt
6" f/8 homebuilt Newt
8" f/5.1 homebuilt Newt
C11 ASGT (no, it's not homebuilt)
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DannyP
member
Reged: 07/29/07
Posts: 28
Loc: Dighton, KS
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In my Z10 it clearly was nonstellar even with 24mm. Though seeing was not great and my scope was not fully cooled, the views were consistent with 24mm, 9mm, and 4.5mm. Bright inner core surrounded by dimmer area. It looked mostly circular, although it might have been slightly off to one side. It appeared to me somewhat like a yellowish pearl with light coming from the center.
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Zhumell 10" Dobsonian (f/4.9)
Kansas Dark Skies
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brentwood
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/04/05
Posts: 637
Loc: BC Canada
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Weirdest looking comet I ever saw. In fact I was reassured when I read Jeremy's report above that it does look like a comet close up. I just used my 7x50s, non stellar in those & yes like a very bright planetary with 20x80s. No detail though as I didnt have my tripod.
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Big telescope.Small telescopes.
Ridiculous binocular collection
I've cut it twice and it's still too short.
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Tuugii
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 522
Loc: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
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Right now I am sitting in the operating room of 21" of the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona. And my Canon Xti is doing it's job...
I had a view with 8" guidescope; it was a beautiful sight! The nuclei is obvious and also a slightly elongated dim tail.
Imaging on 21" seems pretty hard, even when I put my ISO to only 100, a 15sec exposure blows up the image, so I am doing only 10sec ones. Will stack and post them soon.
Also will have a visual view through 21" after imaging.
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telescope=time machine...
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eps0mu0
member
Reged: 01/16/06
Posts: 25
Loc: San Francisco, CA
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I am in downtown San Francisco... so my observing is never great (I hesitate to ever call it good). After several days of clear weather, it started getting hazy, high clouds tonight. But, the comet is easily visible from my deck. About 1/4 to 1/3 way down in a line from alpha Per to Capella. It looks just like a star. I was even able to take some pictures with my Sony 5Mpixel point-and-shoot camera. Manual mode, focus at infinity. A shot at 10" and one at 20" exposure. I need to process and reduce to below 100k before posting. But comet is easily visible.
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rocco13
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 1549
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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Awesome! I was lucky enough to have a friend call me at 10 pm tonight (Wed) and inform me of this. Tried binos, but couldn't hold them steady enough...grabbed the 60mm refractor (aka 'toy') and couldn't focus it enough, so I dragged out the 12" Orion. WOW! no doubt about this object! Very bright, and large. Called my buddy back and described it as the Eskimo Nebula on steroids!
Definitely won't forget this event anytime soon!
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Rocco
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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Tuugii
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 522
Loc: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
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there you have your comet with a nucleus and a tail!
First image with this big scope! 
I hope you like it,
Tuugii
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telescope=time machine...
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Jure
sage
Reged: 06/14/03
Posts: 411
Loc: Plavje, Slovenia
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I spotted it last evening during a 10-minute clearing in otherwise cloudy skies. It's dead obvious - Perseus just doesn't look right. Phil, I think this outburst is similar to outbursts of 29P/Schwassman-Wachmann 1, first a bright, almost starlike outburst that sometimes develops a fan-like structure (just like 17P) and then spreads into a large circular coma with decreasing surface brightness (SB) until it's so big its SB is below detection limit.
17P/Holmes
2007 Oct.24.85UT: m1=2.6 dia=- DC=9 ...NE, Jure Atanackov (Ljubljana, Slovenia) [Full moon and scattered clouds, but very good transparency. Obvious with the naked eye. Noticeably brighter than delta Persei with NE. In 11x70 the comet has strong yellow color, compared to the pale yellow alpha Persei and bluegreen delta Persei. Coma not completely stellar, but a very small disk (<15" in diameter).]
I hope to get a good look through a telescope, but the forecast doesn't look promising. Good luck anyone and keep the reports coming!
CS!Jure
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Celestron CR150HD
10x50, 11x70 binoculars
Nikon D80
MBK Team http://www.orion-drustvo.si/MBKTeam
Slovenian ICQ comet report page
http://astro.ago.uni-lj.si/icq_data.html
Edited by Jure (10/25/07 02:39 AM)
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Photoner
sage
Reged: 12/06/06
Posts: 327
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Fabulous Sight!!! Obvious addition with 10x50s. Great view in grab-n-go 2080 8" SCT with 42mm, 22mm, 17mm, 13mm, 9mm. 17mm was really nice. Echo great job on Jeremy's description (unbelievably bright in full moonlight and pastel yellow).
The Eskimo came to mind too as well as the beginning of close approach with a probe.
Great CN notice and info here and above. This CN habbit is paying off with one of the amazing sights! 
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40
50x2,70x2,100x2
60,80,90,120,125,200,317
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Americal
super member
Reged: 09/14/07
Posts: 120
Loc: Under the L. A. lightdome
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Just got back in from the backyard. I'd have attributed the vivid yellow color to the SoCal wildfire smoke if it hadn't been reported by everyone else. I've seen a lot of comets but nothing colored like Holmes. Nearly stellar core at 310x about 4 arc sec. diam. Bright jet or ejecta to the southwest a couple of arc min. long. Overall halo I'd put at 3-4 arc min. and quite uniform to nearly the edge. I don't feel my observations are of high reliability due to the poor air we've got all over southern Kalifornia from the fires.
We look at the sky and assume it's permanence and immutability from the vantage point of human lifetimes and then something like this happens. What a privilege to be able to see an event like this.
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Tom
It's OK Mom, I can fixit
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4 1/4" f/5 homebuilt Newt
6" f/8 homebuilt Newt
8" f/5.1 homebuilt Newt
C11 ASGT (no, it's not homebuilt)
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solshaker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/06/06
Posts: 1305
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the weather cleared up somewhat, and i was able to view holmes during breaks in the clouds. my observations were the same as described above. at 111x and 250x the stellar like core was very evident, bright, and tight. at 31x and 40x it looked very much like a defocused star with almost concentric rings. 111x was my favorite view by far.
my first comet. very cool.
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My Gallery
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Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1675
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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This comet is an incredible treat! I've got my first telescopic sketch prepped and attached below. (The faint outer portion may not show up well in a brightly lit room I'm afraid.) The full report, rollover graphic with labels, and link to larger image can be found here.
And now, back outside for more!
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Orion SVP 6LT (6" f/8 Newt) || Orion XT8 (8" f/6 Newt) || 15x70 Oberwerk Binoculars
The Belt Of Venus || Astro-Sketch Gallery || Astro-Sketching Resources || Astro-Photo Gallery
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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I too sketched this a little earlier tonight. I have several other sketches I am working on as observed through various EP's & magnifications.
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
Edited by WadeVC (10/25/07 03:18 AM)
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varmint
I invite more abuse
Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 768
Loc: Pacifica, CA, USA
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Jeremy,
Great Sketch! that looks exactly like the view in my SCT (though in my skies I couldn't pull the fainter details, just the bright circle).
From my observations I felt that it almost looked like I was staring down the nose of a pencil tip (with the shiny graphite tip as the bright core, the "dull" graphite edge tapering off as a slight tail, and surrounded by the wooden material).
I hope this will last awhile, it looks like I'm done observing until Halloween (going away on a family vacation without the scope).
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Clear Skies,
Jim
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"Do, or do not. There is no try."-Jedi Master Yoda
Scopes: CGE925, Orion 80ED (w/ADM MDS&Rings)
EPs: Naglers: 31, 22, 17, 9, 3.5 Pan’s: 15
Misc: Telrad, 2x&4x Powermate, Sol/OIII/UHC/Var Pol. Filters
Imaging Gear: Pentax K100D, SPC900NC
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6784
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
The last picture. Taken with SPC900 webcam and SC8 at F10
David Cardeñosa
This is quite close to what I saw early this morning (Oct. 25th at 0600 UT). In my NexStar 9.25 inch SCT, I did see a fainter outer halo perhaps four or maybe five arc minutes in diameter. Inside this is a *brilliant* inner coma around 1.5 arc minutes in diameter with very well-defined edges. At 297x, the core showed a small star-like point when the seeing settled with a diffuse conical fan-like brightening flowing away from the nuclear condensation roughly in the anti-solar direction. The edge of the coma seems to show a somewhat shell-like feature, as if the outburst generated a bit of a shock wave. The comet is very similar in brightness to Algol (very slightly fainter), so it is probably around magnitude 2.3 to 2.5 or so. This one is the best one I have seen since Comet McNaught, and certainly is one of the more unusual sights I have seen in my years of observing. I hope it hangs around to at least the weekend, as I have a public event Saturday night and it would be a great object to show people. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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JPDeTombe
super member
Reged: 06/27/07
Posts: 145
Loc: Davenport, IA
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A comet doesn't have to be impacted by anything in order to brighten in magnitude. More than likely it is just outgassing, expelling gas that had built up to much internal pressure from being heated by the sun.
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John
8" Orion f/5
6" C-150 f/6.7
CG-4 w/dual axis drive
Celestron NexImage
15X70 Zhumell Bino's
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solshaker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/06/06
Posts: 1305
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very nice sketches, fellas. like looking in the ep.
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My Gallery
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4814
Loc: London UK
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Well done Todd  been scrolling down this huge thread for a pic and you seem the first to capture here the comet plus starfield and I'm surprised how relatively few of the contributors do image  Complete cloudout here in SW London after a long run of perfect nights - 'till the comet appeared 
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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canopus56
sage
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 298
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I didn't see tail. It looks like a perfect sphere. Here is my image taken last night from Utah. - Canopus56
http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/v/kurt/solarsystem/20071023_17P.PNG.html
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