Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 3169
Loc: Ireland
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Quote:
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... Interestingly enough, both the outer halo and the outer edge of the disk-like core of the coma showed hints of some annularity, with very slight slight ring-like diffuse darkenings inside what appeared to be a diffuse circular shell in each case....
Well, I'm glad David also noticed a brightening to the outside of the inner disk. I was starting to think I was seeing things (and perhaps still am -- but at least I'm not alone).
And now Jeremy's sketch shows it as well. Interesting.
(Great sketches, by the way. I wish I could see the outer halo and the extension of the fan into it.)
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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Markus
Postmaster
Reged: 12/26/04
Posts: 5395
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Here's the view I got this morning with my 25x100 binocs. I didn't have enough time to mount them so I had to suffice looking from a chair hand-holding these massive bins.  I'm tellin' ya, the view blew me head clean off !!! Awesome looking stellar-like nucleus and nice outer diffuse coma around it. 
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25X100 Skymasters
15X70 Skymasters
Home built Parallelogram Mount
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14687
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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I observed it in the little Pentax (50/600mm) last night. I started out at 15x and cranked it up to about 72x. The view at 66x was the best balance between exit pupil and image scale. Anything over that was getting dim in the tiny scope. Brightest crispest image was about 45x. The coma was definitely bigger than the previous night, and it seemed a bit less yellow. I did not really see any detail other than the bright nucleus surrounded by a substantial haze.
To my eyes, the image reminded me of a terrible looking star test with indistinct/nonexistent diffraction rings.
But since this was a comet and not a star test, it wasn't terrible!
Regards and clear skies,
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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tboss70
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/25/05
Posts: 1992
Loc: Missouri
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How long will it stay visible like this? And is there any hope for a tail?
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Todd
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Dakota Tobias
member
Reged: 02/17/05
Posts: 84
Loc: Central PA
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Darn Pennsylvania weather is just not clearing.
I hear ya, does it seem like EVERBODY except us in PA has seen this bugger? Accuweather says MAYBE Saturday night at the soonest! 
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Dakota Tobias
Discovery 12.5" PDHQ
Orion XT 4.5" Dob
35mm Scopos Extreme
13mm ETHOS
8mm TMB Planetary
7mm Pentax XL
Small herd of plossls
Lumicon OIII filter
Sky Spot finder charts
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SabiaJD
sage
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 429
Loc: Clarks Summit, PA
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Darn Pennsylvania weather is just not clearing.
I hear ya, does it seem like EVERBODY except us in PA has seen this bugger? Accuweather says MAYBE Saturday night at the soonest!
Not everyone, up near the New York border there were partly to mostly clear skies for a few hours last night.
I was surprised by this myself, from seeing a heavy cloudy smeared face of the moon to a nice clear patch of sky.
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John D. Sabia
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djeber2
sage
Reged: 07/02/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Ohio
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I am travelling on business this week, but fortunately packed a pair of small binocs. VERY Easy to see naked eye despite the light pollution from the hotel and surrounding resturants. Looking forwatrd to viewing thru a scope when I get home, but have rain in my local forecast.
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Don
1 Dob: Hardin DSH10
4 Small scopes: Celestron ED80, Meade 114NT/500 4.5", Orion 102 Mak, Orion 100mm Astroview
2 Classic Scopes: 4.25" Edmunds reflector, Sears 60mm Discovery
4 Binoculars: 15x70 Celestron skymaster, 10x42 Celestron Regal, 8x40 Nikon Action, 10x50 Orion Binoculars
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Clive Gibbons
Mostly Harmless
Reged: 05/26/05
Posts: 10335
Loc: Oort Cloud
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I was surprised that it appeared just as bright last night (Oct 26th) as it did the night before.
In 7x50mm binocs, it was distinctly disk-shaped.
In the scope, the surface brightness of the coma (about twice as big as 24 hours earlier) had faded quite a bit, but the second, inner coma was more obvious and clearly decentered from the faint star-like nucleus.
But, still a creamy colored +2.5 mag. to the naked eye.
Very cool.
We're predicted to have clouds and rain for the next couple of days. I think comet Holmes will look much different by the time skies clear. 
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A few telescopes of dubious value.
Understanding wife and three curious cats.
"Semper ubi sub ubi"
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LumpyDarkness
sage
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 311
Loc: San Francisco bay area
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At 10:50 p.m. PDT Thursday night I had a good look at Holmes.
It is somewhat brighter, and a bit bigger than last night. I don't think it has increased a lot in size, but some. With a 7mm Nagler in the 10" f/5.7 CPT, I was running 207X and the overall comet took about a quarter of the field of view. That would put it at 6 arcminutes. I also looked with a 12 Nagler giving 120X.
The brighter portion of the comet is still around 2 arcminutes. The nucleus is a bright golden yellow stellar point, offset slightly SSW. A bright yellow/cream colored fan of ejecta extends SSW from the nucleus. At times I felt the southern edge of the fan would show some movement, as if a pinpoint of brightening was occurring - extending into the edge of the fan, and perhaps feeding the fan itself.
Around the nucleus and ejecta fan was a bright circular glow, more pronounced on the fan side. Outside that was a darkened ring, which on the fan side was mostly interrupted. This darkened ring was enclosed by a bright soft outer ring, and that defined the end of the "bright" portion of the comet. If not for the fan and bright inner glow, the bright outer ring would have made the view as annular, maybe it could still be called that though. The darker part inside the bright outer ring appeared to gray tinged with red.
Beginning at the outside edge of the bright outer ring, a very dim circular glow extended out. It appeared to extend an additional 2 arcminutes around the bright "outer" ring. The dim glow was easier to view at 120X than at 207X.
I hope this comet is still putting on a show in a few more days. It would be great to see it under dark skies.
More tomorrow...
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Mark Wagner
18" f/4.5 Dob
The Astronomy Connection: Observing Reports - updated 12/1/08
Adventures In Deep Space: updated 12/1/08
Join us in June at California's Golden State Star Party
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 3531
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Thanks to everyone for the excellent reports, sketches, and images. There are many of us under this stalled front on the East Coast of the US who have yet to put an eyeball on this extraordinary visitor.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Tonk
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/19/04
Posts: 3579
Loc: Leeds, UK, 54N
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Quote:
There are many of us under this stalled front on the East Coast of the US who have yet to put an eyeball on this extraordinary visitor.
Likewise in the mainland UK
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Televue 85, GM-8/Gemini, Canon 10D
Coronado SM60/BF10, Baader Herschel Wedge
Leeds Sky Clock Ripon Sky Clock
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Reged: 10/01/04
Posts: 351
Loc: Mineral Point, Wi
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I keep reading reports of it as a yellow object- I'm not seeing much color visually or imaged.
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Empire Ranch Observatory
Iowa County Astronomers
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comets4tom
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/08/05
Posts: 575
Loc: Texas
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The closer you observe the comet to the horizon, the more yellow its seems to appear due to atmospheric reddening.
The first night I observed the comet, the color was more like a shade of cream as it gained altitude compared to when I first observed it with a stronger yellow color closer to the horizon.
Tom H.
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Vixen R200SS, ZenithStar 80 (APOGraded), Meade 2045D, Orion Explorer 90mm, Vixen Great Polaris DX with SkySensor 2000, Meade LX200GPS 8 Inch
Canon 300D, Stellacam EX, Orion Starshoot DSCIC, Atik 16IC
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qianniu
sage
Reged: 05/05/07
Posts: 465
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
I keep reading reports of it as a yellow object- I'm not seeing much color visually or imaged.
I saw it last night by the Green Lake. This is my first view of a comet, so cannot comment on other obersers' impression of "the weirdest comet". But I have to say that despite the full moon the view of it in my 8" Dob was really beautiful, stunning actually! The almost perfect spherical halo was reminiscent of buddha with radiant light as shown in many paintings. But indeed I couldn't see any yellow.
At least Seattle weather cooperated this time! 
qianniu
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Why do the stars in the sky appear as crowded as people on the earth? Why do people on the earth appear as alienated as stars in the sky? - Lyrics of a Chinese song.
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Dave M
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 4519
Loc: N.E Ohio
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Weirdest darn thing i think i`ve seen or imaged.
Here`s what i got last night imaging through the 80ED.
80ED / F6.3 Reducer / IDAS LPS Filter
Blazin Full moon.
13 X 30 Seconds ISO-200
10 Darks
15 Flats
Processed Images Plus..
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Dave
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
Meade 10" SCT / Losmandy G11
Tak FSQ106ED
Canon 20D
SBig ST-4
http://www.spacew.com/gallery/DM
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Reged: 10/01/04
Posts: 351
Loc: Mineral Point, Wi
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If the comet keeps sending out puffs of material, it may end up looking like a bulls-eye target I hope it doesn't fade too much as it expands- it will be awesome to see this thing without the lunar glare.
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Empire Ranch Observatory
Iowa County Astronomers
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Bill Weir
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 893
Loc: Metchosin (Victoria), Canada
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Here's a link to a sketch that I did last night using anf/5 25" equitorially mounted Newtonian reflector. I was using binoviewers at the time with 23mm eyepieces in it. I guess the pwer is somewhere around 140X and about a 0.4* FOV. I then put my 17mm T4 Nagler into the focuser. I actually prefered the Nagler view better (imagine that) but I had already done the sketch. I used the improved view to enhance the sketch. The Comet had a distinct annularity to it.
http://rascvic.zenfolio.com/p566114947/?photo=h35DA0833#903481395
I also took some prime focus images through the scope with my son's Rebel XTi but haven't down loaded them yet. Some of them look like they turned out rather good. If they are as I'm just learning how to use the camera, I'll post one later.
Bill
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6'' Orion SkyQuest
12.5'' f/5 Custom Truss Dob
William Optics 80mm ZenithStar II ED Doublet
f/5 25" newtonian on a giant GEM, any time I want
Observing sessions grand total for 2007, 171.
So far in 2008, 115
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3379
Loc: In the doghouse.
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Quote:
I hope it doesn't fade too much as it expands- it will be awesome to see this thing without the lunar glare.
Indeed. I'm hoping for clear skies Monday night, with 12" dob in hand. Hoping, that is...
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 3169
Loc: Ireland
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We've got 90% cloud cover here, so it doesn't seem worth it to open up the observatory. But I did catch it through a break in the clouds with the 18x70's, and I'd say it's grown again. It's pretty hard to judge size in the binos (with a 4° field), but I'd guess that it was about 1' on Wed, 2' on Thurs and maybe 3' tonight (Fri).
BTW: my first view on Wed the comet was very yellow, and I viewed it fairly late (0:00 UT) so it had plenty of altitude (70°). Less yellow on Thurs, but the moon was closer, the humidity was higher, and the altitude was slightly lower (58°). Don't know if those factors contributed or if the comet was simply less yellow the second night after outburst. There's still plenty of yellow color tonight through the bins (58° altitude again).
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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Jure
sage
Reged: 06/14/03
Posts: 411
Loc: Plavje, Slovenia
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17P/Holmes
2007 Oct.26.83UT: m1=2.3 dia=~2-3' DC=9 ...NE, Jure Atanackov (Plavje, Slovenia) [Clear skies with scattered clouds, full Moon, slight haze. Comet is obvious with the naked eye as an almost stellar object with a detectable disk and a soft outer edge, obviously yellow. In 11x70B a very bright, perfectly circular coma 3.2' across, brightest portion displaced towards P.A. 200 deg. Half of the coma, centered on this P.A. brighter than the following part. Outer parts of coma cream yellow in color, central condensation more intense yellow color. In 15-cm R at 30x (Oct.26.87UT) the sight is absolutely amazing. The pale cream coma is perfectly round, annular in apperance with a brighter, soft edge. A wide, distinctly yellow dust fan is centered on P.A. 200 deg, spanning 60 deg and 45" long, superimposed on an oval dust envelope about 70" long. Glimpses of possible(clockwise) spiral structure inside the fan forming a dust shell, but not confirmed. Opposite the dist fan a 'void' of lesser surface brightness is located between the pseudonucleus and bright outer coma edge. Stellar pseudonucleus (m2=9.1) visible at 30x and very distinct at 150x.]
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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
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